BF 1042 

J6 










SPIRITUALISM and CHARLATANISM; 



OB, 



THE TRICKS OP THE MEDIA, 



EMBODYING 



AN EXPOSE OP THE MANIFESTATIONS OP MODERN SPIRITUALISM 
BY A COMMITTEE OF BUSINESS MEN OF NEW-YORK. 



PENDIE L. JEWETT. 

'#CGP 



" Miracles are ceased : 
And therefore we must needs admit the means 
How things are perfected." Shakespeare. 



JTew-York : 4 

S. W, GREEN, PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, 16 & 18 JACOB STREET. 
1873. 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by 

J. N. TIFFT, 

in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



NOTICE. 



A portion of the expose of the " Committee" was origi- 
nally published in the New- York World of Sunday, March 
16th, 1873, and is here reproduced by permission, having 
been revised and extended by the author. 

The primary object of this publication is to expose the 
tricks and chicanery of a large and growing class of men 
and women, who, trading upon the most tender and sacred 
emotions of our nature, obtain money from the public on 
pretense of giving communications from departed friends. 

New- York, March, 1873. 



SPIRITUALISM 



CHAPTER I. 

It was early in February. The clock had struck four, and 
the busy hum of Wall street was beginning to sink to rest. 
Not a very eventful day. Cotton had been quiet and easier 
both for "spot" and "future." The London quotations 
came about steady for consols, and strong and higher for 
the '67's and new fives. The money market more active, 
with an advance in the rate on call to the exceptional ex- 
treme of 1-16 per cent. The gold market opened weak, and 
fell off to 112 J, but the gold clique, in a fresh turn of the 
windlass, raised the price to 113f. Railroad bonds buoy- 
ant, Southern securities steady, and Governments strong. 
Stocks heavy and lower. There had been more animation in 
some departments of trade, but, as a general thing, the 
markets were quiet and unchanged. A defalcation in a 
government office had kept the reporter of a morning paper 
very busy during the day, hunting up the details. 

Coupes began to collect on the street, and well-dressed 
gentlemen to stand on the corner and hail the omnibuses as 
they passed. Business life became absorbed in the social 
and domestic as the current surged up-town. 

In an office on Broadway, just out of Wall street, were 
collected a party of seven gentlemen, all of whom had been 
more or less interested in the various operations which I 



6 SPIKITUALISM. 

have sketched, and which formed the subject of a desultory- 
conversation for a few moments. Their minds were evi- 
dently jaded by them, however, and their attention was 
readily turned to a slim-built, angular young man, who had 
been the last to enter, when he began to recount cer- 
tain alleged wonderful manifestations by a spirit-medium, 
which had been told to him by a friend, and which he pro- 
nounced "humbug," with perhaps more energy than the 
occasion required. 

"I tell you, gentlemen," he said, "these media are the 
greatest frauds of the age, not even excepting the opera- 
tors in "Wall street." 

"Don't be personal or violent," said a gold broker. 
" Have you a cigar about you ?" 

"I attended a lecture at Apollo Hall recently," said a 
solemn-looking merchant, " when the speaker was a trance- 
medium. I went to sleep during the discourse, but, as far 
as I understood her, she attempted to explain every thing on 
the basis of ' the ineffable.' " 

"Pooh!" said a banker of waggish tendencies, "'the 
scintillations of propinquity ' beat that hollow." 

" It is harder to spell," said a broker. 

" Gentlemen," continued the angular young man, " your 
minds evidently need relaxation. That is well. Relax 
them ; but don't jest on serious things concerning which 
you know little. Spiritualism is a natural phase of the 
human mind. It is a necessity. It has grown up out of 
man's nature and his teachings ; but the mass of its reputed 
high-priests are swindlers. I am preparing an article on 
the subject. I will read you the introduction." 

" Heaven help us !" said a banker. 

" Is it long ?" asked a broker. 

" Stand up !" exclaimed a merchant. 



SPIRITUALISM. 7 

" Gentlemen, I ask you to listen in the interest of 
science." 

" Tyndall's lectures always bored me," said an elegantly- 
dressed young man, who had not before spoken. 

" Gentlemen !" (reading) : " Until a comparatively recent 
date in the history of the human race, all the mysteries of 
nature were explained on the theory of supernatural agency. 
In the first efforts of his mind to grasp at the cause of phe- 
nomena, man endowed every object which his senses con- 
templated with life ; and the stars moved, the vegetation 
sprang up and increased, the rivers flowed on toward the 
sea, by their own volition. As in process of time his mind 
gradually developed out of this primitive idea, he adopted 
the theory of guardian spirits, or tutelar deities, by whose 
instrumentality all the operations of nature, which he saw 
around him, were carried on. Then it was the gentle fairy 
made her luxuriant home within the petals of the lily, and, 
with her companions, danced upon the greensward, within 
frequent sight of the awe-struck, belated peasant ; the elves 
peopled the air, and, reposing on the leaves of the trees, 
were rocked to sleep by the breezes ; gentle naiads of that 
beauty which makes nudity chaste " 

" Which ?" says a broker. 

" — made music in the gurgling of every stream, and the 
sprites and fairies haunted every dell. The dwarfs and 
trolls indulged in mad revels within the hills and mounds, 
and genii led the way of fortunate mortals to caverns of 
enchantment and untold treasure." 

" How would such an operation affect the market in these 
days ?" asked a broker. 

" Let us be calm and non-resistant," responded the banker ; 
" he may die." 

" Gradually as the mind of man still farther expanded, 
and he began to have a knowledge and appreciation of 



SPIRITUALISM. 



general laws as affecting phenomena, his deities grew less 
and less, being absorbed in a smaller number with more ex- 
tended powers, until, in the end, they all centred in one 
omnipotent Creator and Preserver, in whose will and power 
lay a solution of all mystery. While retaining this idea of 
a supreme originator of all things, as a necessary base upon 
which his mind may rest, as one after the other of the 
various phenomena of nature has, by patient study and in- 
vestigation, been explained, man has constantly tended 
toward the conclusion that they are all the result of certain 
immutable laws, and, in proportion to his approach thereto, 
have his fetishes, his tutelar deities and guardian spirits 
been driven to the wall, until in his more advanced stage, 
as represented by men of science, he has discarded them 
altogether. And yet, such is the influence of past teach- 
ing, increasing and intensifying as it moves along down 
the line of hereditary descent, that the mass of mankind, in 
the present day, retain, in some form, a belief in direct 
supernatural agency, affecting the matters of this life, and 
instinctively turn thereto for an explanation of any thing 
beyond their experience or ken." 

" Hold there !" exclaimed the merchant. " Let us be or- 
thodox or nothing. I yield you up the media, but make no 
attacks on the faith of our fathers." 

"Your fathers believed according to their light. I am 
endeavoring to increase yours. Restrain yourself. I am 
coming to that." 

" Is it long ?" asked the broker. 

" There are few who doubt that we are entering upon 
a new era of thought, in which the theological and meta- 
physical teachings of the past, to which primarily this belief 
in the active interference of spirits with the affairs of this 
life is due, are to be submitted to the severest test. If they 
Btand this test, they will come out purified as by fire. If, 



SPIRITUALISM. 9 

on the contrary, they are consumed in the crucible, no harm 
can result which time can not rectify; for truth is in accor- 
dance with the natural laws which affect man, as well as 
all else, and only error can be destroyed. An investigation 
based upon the cumulative knowledge and experience of the 
past, and a continued study of all phenomena, in the light 
of that revelation resulting from the discoveries of science, 
is the controlling idea of this era. And in this investigation, 
no assumption of spirits is allowed. There is no longer ad- 
mitted to be a personal responsibility in matters unexplain- 
ed. Man is in the infancy of his knowledge. Even the 
functions of certain organs in his body are, as yet, imper- 
fectly understood. That there are latent, undeveloped 
powers within his organism, destined to place him upon a 
much higher plane in the scale of existence, possibly to ad- 
vance him to that point which he has been wont to regard 
as the supernatural, is being dimly perceived. This advance- 
ment, whether it come sooner or later, will be in and of him- 
self and without extraneous assistance. That in the phe- 
nomena of Mesmerism, Psychology, Psychometry, and so- 
called modern Spiritualism may be seen the first faint 
gleams of light which precede the glorious morning, is pos- 
sible, and if so, man, unaided by the beings of another 
world, must deal with them alone, and alone reap the re- 
ward of his labors." 

"Wait !" said the banker, "you are admitting too much. 
Once concede there are phenomena which can be explained 
on the basis of no known law, and the Spiritualists ask noth- 
ing farther. They regard their case as made out." 

"And what then?" responded the angular young man. 
"Do you take me for a pettifogging lawyer? Can you 
destroy a truth by denying it ? Is it any the less a truth 
because the weak and foolish distort it ?" 

" I don't know about these phenomena," said the banker's 



10 SPIK1TUALISM. 

partner, who had been quietly listening ; " if they exist, I 
prefer to find some rational explanation of them, of course. 
But I object to spiritualism on quite another ground. It 
seems clear to me that, if we have an existence hereafter, it 
is as complete in its inception and continuance, as in accor- 
dance with some immutable law which prescribes its cha- 
racter and conditions and defines its duties, which perhaps 
gives to it pleasures and pains, as in the present. We see 
that man has high duties to perform in this world, which 
he can not avoid without the severest penalties. Isn't it ra- 
tional to conclude that in another and higher sphere of ex- 
istence and conscious entity, if such there be, man will have 
his duties correspondingly high and more difficult of avoid- 
ance ; that in another world he will meet others like him, 
and in his relations to them and the pursuits evolved there- 
from, his existence will be passed? Reasoning from all 
analogy, the harmony, the completeness of nature for- 
bid that a being can be an inhabitant of two worlds, hold- 
ing a divided allegiance and incompatible relations. Cer- 
tainly those who have passed the dark river and entered 
upon another and more advanced existence, have not done 
so to lead a life of vagabondage, nor do they remain here at 
the beck of those of whom to say little is to be charitable. 

' Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay, 
Might stop a hole to keep the wind away.' 

But I doubt if George "Washington and a great number of 
other worthies have gone into the show-business and are 
engaged in tipping tables and answering foolish questions 
in a still more foolish manner, through ignorant charlatans, 
few of whom know how to spell." 

" Bravo !" exclaimed the merchant, " I also doubt. But 
what evidence of these phenomena is there ?" 

"Plenty," responded the angular young man. "Of 



SPIRITUALISM. 1 1 

course, I leave out the evidence of the spiritualists them- 
selves, with whom ' the wish is father to the thought,' most 
of whom are incapable of distinguishing between impres- 
sion and fact, and are, as a class, the most easily deluded 
people under the sun. Perhaps as satisfactory proof as 
any that has been furnished, is contained in a report of a 
committee appointed by the London Dialectical Society, in 
February, 1869, to examine and report upon the pretensions 
of Spiritualism. It may be found in a work entitled 
Spiritualism answered by Science. By Edward W. Cox, 
S.L., F.R.G.S., and made after a careful and exhaustive 
investigation of these phenomena, extending during a year, 
and in a manner and under conditions which absolutely 
preclude all idea of deception. I have embodied the gist 
of it in my article. Listen : 

" ' The result of their (the committee's) long-continued and carefully 
conducted experiments, after trial by every detective test they could 
devise, has been to establish conclusively : 

" ' First That under certain bodily or mental conditions of one or 
more of the persons present, a force is exhibited sufficient to set in 
motion heavy substances without the employment of any muscular 
force, without contact or material connection of any kind between 
such substances and the body of any person present. 

" ' Second. That this force can cause sounds to proceed, distinctly 
audible to all present, from solid substances not in contact with nor 
having visible or material connection with the body of any person 
present, and which sounds are proved to proceed from such substan- 
ces by the vibrations which are distinctly felt when they are touched. 

" ' Third. That this force is frequently directed by intelligence.' 

" Without for a moment attributing the force or the exer- 
cise of this intelligence to the agency of spirits, the com- 
mittee conclude their report as follows : 

" * Your committee express their unanimous opinion that the one 
important physical fact thus proved to exist, that motion may he pro- 
duced in solid bodies icithout material contact, by some hitherto un- 
recognized force, operating within an undefined distance from the 
human organism and beyond range of muscular action, should be 



1 2 SPIRITUALISM. 

subjected to further scientific examination, with a view to ascertain 
its source, nature, and power.' 

" This committee comprised men of various pursuits and 
capacities — ingenious lawyers, practiced scientists, skillful 
doctors, authors, artists, and shrewd men of business. The 
meetings were held at the private residences of members, 
and no professional medium was employed. It would seem 
therefore absurd to question their conclusions as to the 
facts." 

"Did the committee furnish no theory in regard to these 
manifestations ?" asked the merchant. 

" None," was the response. " The author of the work to 
which I have referred, a prominent member of the commit- 
tee, argues that it is the result of nerve or, as he styles it, 
psychic force, which proceeds from or, in some unknown 
manner, is associated with the human organization, and 
that it is controlled and directed by the intelligence of the 
medium. He adds : ' That it is the result of an uncon- 
scious action of the brain, the ganglion, or the nerves, will 
probably be deemed by those who have closely noted the 
phenomena to be sufficiently established.' " 

"You say the medium employed was not a professional 
one ?" asked the banker. 

" No. She was the wife of one of the members of the 
general committee, of high professional and social stand- 
ing. She had never witnessed any of the phenomena with 
others, and had discovered their production in her own 
person by chance." 

"Did she admit that the intelligence exercised was her 
own ?" 

" No. The theory is that, as the physical phenomena 
were independent of her will and control, so was the exer- 
cise of the intelligence. I think a long step toward an ex- 
planation of this is in the 'Unconscious Action of the 



SPIRITUALISM. 13 

Brain,' so ably elucidated by Dr. William B. Carpenter and 
Frances Power Cobbe. The latter, in an article entitled 
'Unconscious Cerebration,' which originally appeared in 
Macmillarts Magazine, says, ' The phenomena with which 
we are concerned have been often referred to by meta- 
physicians, Leibnitz and Sir W. Hamilton amongst others, 
under the name of " Latent thought" and " Preconscious ac- 
tivity of the soul." Dr. Carpenter, who has discovered the 
physiological explanation of them, and reduced them to 
harmony with other phenomena of the nervous system, has 
given to them the title of " Unconscious Cerebration." The 
idea is, that the brain acts without our consciousness, as is 
illustrated : First. In many of our most familiar habits, 
such as walking to an accustomed place of business, which 
we not infrequently do, when we had, at the start, deter- 
mined to go somewhere else. Again, in the case of absent- 
minded people, who unconsciously say what they think of 
each other, when they consciously intend to be extremely 
flattering. The mind at times acts with great method and 
intelligence when the subject is asleep, and the cases are 
not few where difficult mathematical problems and intricate 
legal questions have been solved by persons in such condi- 
tions. Another illustration of this is in recalling apparent- 
ly forgotten names. We may strive for many minutes to 
recall a name with which we have been familiar, and finally 
cease the effort and turn our attention elsewhere ; when in 
a short time, presto ! it flashes upon us. The brain, with- 
out our realization, has been at work hunting it up in the 
storehouse of memory, and, being found, communicates it 
to the consciousness. These things, from their comparative 
familiarity, attract little attention, and yet, in view of the 
limited knowledge we have had, and still have, of the ac- 
tion of the mind, they are wonderful in the extreme, and 



1 1 SPIEITUALISM. 

it is remarkable that the ever-convenient * spirit agency ' 
has not been called in to explain them.' 

" Having referred to these and many other psychological 
facts illustrative of ' unconscious cerebration,' Miss Cobbe 
proceeds to quote, slightly abridged, from Dr. Carpenter : 

" All parts of the nervous system appear to possess cer- 
tain powers of automatic action. The spinal cord has for 
primary functions the performance of the motions of res- 
piration and swallowing. The automatic action of the 
sensory ganglia seems to be connected with movements of 
protection — such as the closing of the eyes to a flash of 
light — and their secondary use enables a man to shrink from 
dangers of collisions etc., before he has time for conscious 
escape. Finally we arrive at the automatic action of the 
cerebrum y and here Dr. Carpenter reminds us that instead 
of being (as formerly supposed) the centre of the whole 
system, in direct connection with the organs of sense and 
the muscular apparatus, the cerebrum is, according to 
modern physiology, 

" A superadded organ the development of which seems to bear a 
pretty constant relation to the degree in which intelligence super- 
sedes instinct as a spring of action. The ganglionic matter which 
is spread out upon the surface of the hemispheres and in which their 
potentiality resides, is connected with the sensory tract at their base 
(which is the real centre of conveyance for the sensory nerves of the 
whole body) by commissural fibres, long since termed by Reid, with 
sagacious foresight, ' nerves of the internal senses,' and its anatomical 
relation to the sensorium is thus precisely the same as that of the 
retina, which is a ganglionic expansion connected with the sensorium 
by the optic nerve. Hence it may be fairly surmised : 1. That as we 
only become conscious of visual impressions on the retina when their 
influence has been transmitted to the central sensorium, so we only 
become conscious of ideational changes in the cerebral hemispheres 
when their influence has been transmitted to the same centre ; 2. 
That as visual changes may take place in the retina, of which we are 
unconscious, either through temporary inactivity of the sensorium 
(as in sleep) or through the entire occupation of the attention in some 
other direction, so may ideational changes take place in the cere- 



SPIRITUALISM. 15 

brum, of which we may be unconscious for want of receptivity on 
the part of the sensorium, but of which the results may present 
themselves to the consciousness as ideas elaborated by an automatic 
process of which we have no cognizance." 

" As the result of the investigations, much more fully sta- 
ted and illustrated than herein, the following powers and 
faculties are credited to the unconscious brain, in Miss 
Cobbe's article : 

"1. It not only remembers as much as the conscious self 
can recall, but often much more. It is even doubtful 
whether it may not be capable, under certain conditions, of 
reproducing every impression ever made upon the senses 
during life. 

" 2. It can understand what words or things are sought 
to be remembered, and hunt them up, through some re- 
condite process known only to itself, till it discovers and 
pounces on them. 

"3. It can fancy the most beautiful pictures, and also 
the most terrible ones, and weave ten thousand fables with 
inexhaustible invention. 

" 4. It can perform the exceedingly difficult task of men- 
tal arrangement and logical division of subjects. 

"5. It can transact all the mechanical business of walk- 
ing, reading, writing, sewing, playing, etc. etc. 

" 6. It can tell the hour in the middle of the night with- 
out a time-piece." 

"And to what does all this tend ?" said the merchant. 

" Simply this," responded the angular young man, " that 
in the unconscious action of the brain, of which we are just 
beginning to obtain some knowledge — may, no doubt, be 
found the secret of the ' intelligence ' manifested in the 
physical phenomena referred to ; and farther, that in the 
indestructible memory, acting with or forming part of 
such unconscious action, may be found a solution for all the 



1Q SPIRITUALISM. 

mental phenomena which have been observed in so-called 
spiritualism. How often do we hear from its votaries, ' I 
had not thought of such a person or such an incident for 
1 years,' in the presence of the clairvoyant or medium who, to 
his astonishment, has called it up to him. And this is true, 
as far as conscious thought is concerned ; but who can tell 
to what extent the brain has dwelt upon such person or 
incident, in its unconscious activity, and which has, in its 
mysterious workings, communicated the thought to another 
mind ?" 

" I think the solution of those phenomena can be much 
more easily explained," said the merchant, " and that it lies 
in the fact that the medium or clairvoyant has obtained the 
knowledge from some extraneous source." 

"I grant you that in the very great majority of in- 
stances." 

While this attempted elucidation of the causes of pheno- 
mena had been going on, another gentleman had entered 
the office. He was pale, of thoughtful mien, and having a 
wealth of black hair and whiskers. He had quietly seated 
himself and listened, with much apparent interest. As the 
angular young man finished, another, who had not as yet 
spoken, arose with an impatient air, and as he walked the 
floor, exclaimed, " Let us be reasonable ! What is the 
use of all these fine-spun theories based on nothing ? It is 
not difficult to ascertain certain facts. I will open the way 
if you have any desire to investigate this matter. Media 
are not frauds or humbugs. Yes, I am a Spiritualist, and 
am content in so being. Media are the means through 
which our departed friends communicate with us. They 
stand between the living and the dead, and not even the 
frequency of such communications can rid them of the feel- 
ing of awe and reverence which their occult, unexplainable 
powers induce within them. I have been a Spiritualist for 



SPIRITUALISM. 17 

two years. It has convinced me that the soul is immortal, 
that I shall live in my individuality hereafter ; that with 
others, my friends here, I shall wander ' on the banks of 
that eternal river.' Spiritualism furnishes to us our only 
assurance of such existence hereafter. It shows us that we 
enter the new life as we leave the old one ; that the affec- 
tions and interests of this life, the love of humanity for a 
time retain us here, but the tendency is onward and up- 
ward toward fountains of eternal happiness. I have witness- 
ed manifestations which are inexplicable on the base of any 
other theory than that of an intelligent entity outside of 
both medium and his visitor, and which the theories of 
psychic force and unconscious cerebration, concerning 
which the writers on those subjects seem to know little, 
though allowed every thing that is claimed for them, can not 
account for. I have been furnished information of which I 
never had any knowledge, and of which the medium could 
not, in the nature of things, by any possibility have known. 
It is not a difficult thing to test this matter. There are 
plenty of media in the city. Go to them for information 
which you desire, and you will soon be convinced." 

" Let us be calm," said a broker. 

"I have many friends who are Spiritualists," said the 
banker, " and they have often endeavored to prevail upon 
me to visit a spiritual medium and try to obtain some know- 
ledge of the circumstances surrounding my father's death, 
who, as you. all know, was murdered some years since. My 
brother and partner here, and myself have labored, regard- 
less of trouble or expense, to find some clue to the mur- 
derer, and while I have little confidence " 

" Go to such medium as I direct," said the believer in 
Spiritualism, " and I guarantee you will ascertain what you 
want to know." 

" You had better stay away," said the new-comer, " and 



1 8 SPIRITUALISM. 

save your money, to continue your efforts by earthly 
means." 

" I judge you are not a Spiritualist," said the broker. 

" No, sir ! Not a Spiritualist in any sense whatever. I 
have listened with much interest to your remarks in rela- 
tion to this subject of Spiritualism, and, as it is one to 
which I have given considerable attention, I would like to 
make a few observations in regard to it." 

" Couldn't you write them out, and submit them at some 
future day?" inquired the elegantly-dressed young man, 
with an expression of anxiety. 

" Certainly," said the new-comer, somewhat abashed, " if 
you desire to " 

" Let us be serious," said the banker. " Go on !" 

The new-comer, after looking around with an inquiring 
expression, continued, " I am an adherent of that system 
of thought and life elaborated by Auguste Comte, and 
known as Positivism." 

" Allow me to form your acquaintance !" exclaimed the 
angular young man. " To my shame be it said, I know 
nothing of Positivism, probably owing to the fact that my 
tendencies are all toward Orthodoxy. Tell us something 
about it." 

JVew-comer. " It claims to be an integral doctrine, giving 
a complete explanation of the world, of man, his duty and 
destiny. It rejects completely all forms of theological and 
metaphysical belief ; in other words, all forms of super- 
naturalism. The true positive spirit consists in substituting 
the study of the invariable laws of phenomena for that of 
their so-called causes, whether proximate or primary ; in a 
word, in studying the 'How' instead of the 'Why.' The 
principle of theology is to explain every thing by super- 
natural wills." 



SPIRITUALISM. 19 

Believer. " Then yon are an Atheist ; at least, I am un- 
able to distinguish between Atheism and Positivism." 

New-comer. "Your inability to make the distinction 
arises from the want of due appreciation of the exact 
grounds in dispute. The Atheist is, at bottom, a theolo- 
gian ; he does not reject the problems of theology ; he 
merely rejects the solution of those problems, and in so 
doing he is extremely illogical. So long as the mind con- 
tinues to perplex itself with the problems, there is no bet- 
ter explanation possible than the one spontaneously given, 
that they proceed from supernatural will or wills. Posi- 
tivists, on the other hand, reject the problem on the ground 
that it is utterly inaccessible to the intellect. Moral con- 
siderations make it imperative on us to study the laws of 
phenomena, instead of wasting our strength in a vain 
search for first or final causes." 

Angular Young Man. " If this doctrine is what you 
represent it to be, it should afford an explanation of this 
wide-spread delusion of Spiritualism." 

New-comer. "To give an exhaustive exposition of it, from 
a Positive point of view, would perhaps tax your patience 
to an extent to which you would hardly submit. It would 
certainly do nothing toward settling the question whether 
the media are deceivers or deceived. And though this be 
decided, it would fall far short of accomplishing the over- 
throw of this disease or seriously affecting its career." 

Believer, {indignantly?) " I would like to know on what 
grounds you characterize Spiritualism as a disease." 

New-comer. " Perhaps a sufficient evidence that it is so, 
might be found in a study of the mental and physical con- 
ditions of the great mass of its votaries. But I will try to 
make an explanation of this statement, and in order to do 
so, we must first understand what we mean by health and 
disease. The popular notions on this subject are wholly 



20 SPIRITUALISM. 

metaphysical ; health and disease are regarded as entities. 
The popular language at once betrays the existing intellec- 
tual fallacies. 'He caught a cold,' 'He caught a fever,' 
etc., show that colds and fevers are regarded as tangible 
entities. Now, the scientific explanation of health is this : 
'Health is the result of the harmonious action of all the 
organs of the body,' and the complete combination of all 
the bodily functions is the condition or unity thus termed. 
Disease, on the other hand, results when this unity or har- 
mony is disturbed by the excess or defect of an organ to 
discharge its legitimate and normal functions. This dis- 
turbance may proceed either from without or from within, 
when the normal limits of variation are exceeded, in a plus 
or minus direction, by the prolonged action, either of the 
environment or of the organism. Now, this definition can 
be extended and applied to our emotional life as well as our 
physical life. All the phenomena of life, whether of the 
individual or of society, are comprised in three grand divi- 
sions : Thought, feeling, and activity. How to bring 
these into harmonious relations, is the problem of modern 
philosophy." 

Merchant. " How do you apply this to Spiritualism ?" 
New-comer. " To do this, we must take a comprehensive 
view of society ; not alone as it exists to-day, because to 
understand the age in which we live, we must study it in 
relation to all preceding ages. To the student of history, 
few events afford such material for speculation as the spread 
of epidemic delusions, especially religious delusions, and 
history is replete with them. A critical examination en- 
ables us to see how they may be accounted for, when the 
definition of health, above given, is extended so as to em- 
brace our mental, moral, and social life." 

Broker. " I can't understand how such palpable absurdi- 
ties can be accepted by sensible men." 



SPIRITUALISM. 21 

New-comer. " The difference between tweedle-dee and 
tweedle-dum is much greater, perhaps, than at first sight we 
are disposed to think. Religious dogmas do not rest on 
reason. For example, how much rationality is there in the 
dogmas of the conception of Christ, the Trinity, and Tran- 
substantiation, if submitted to the tests of physiology, 
mathematics, and chemistry ? I undertake to say that the 
vagaries of Spiritualism do not surpass these eminently re- 
spectable beliefs in absurdity." 

Believer. "I don't see that you have made out that 
Spiritualism is a disease." 

New-comer. " Let me continue, again directing your at- 
tention to the great divisions of the individual and of the 
social life — thought, feeling, and activity. Any undue va- 
riation of any one of these will produce moral and social 
disorders. Now, when we consider that in the mass the in- 
tellect is extremely feeble compared with the feelings, we 
can readily understand how delusions, under certain condi- 
tions, do take possession of the minds of men. We all 
know that epidemic diseases can be traced to physical 
causes existing in the environment, and their disastrous ef- 
fects are greatly enhanced when the epidemic produces a 
panic whieh takes the imagination captive. History shows 
us that periods of great physical suffering, caused by 
famine, pestilence, earthquakes, and other unusual phe- 
nomena, are prolific sources of mental disorders. In these 
cases, the intellect and the emotions are thrown out of their 
normal relations by physical causes. At other times, the 
disturbance proceeds from within. The destruction of the 
world and other startling notions have from time to time 
taken possession of Western Europe and thrown the na- 
tions into disorder. As to mental disorders, there are two 
causes from whence they proceed : First, the exciting 
cause ; next, the predisposing cause ; the one objective, 



22 SPIRITUALISM. 

the other subjective. Now, let us apply this to modem 
Spiritualism. In this case, the exciting cause was primarily 
the old theological belief in the existence of spirits, roused 
into unusual activity by the strange phenomena known as 
the < Rochester Knockings,' and the predisposing cause 
was the prevailing rationalism which, since the inaugura- 
tion of the scientific era by Galileo, has been going on at 
an ever-increasing rapidity. If you examine the mental 
condition of Spiritualists, you will find they repudiate with 
contempt all the old theological dogmas. They are (in 
spirit at least) in a state of war with all the traditions of 
the past, and nearly all existing social institutions. They 
are destructives, pure and simple." 

Believer. " Yes, and we will ultimately inaugurate a new 
era of freedom and progress." 

New-comer. " I do not share that hope. Spiritualism is 
destructive, not constructive. A glance at its present con- 
dition does not warrant any such conclusion as you men- 
tion. It has no well-defined purpose or object. It is 
utterly destitute of the means by which to accomplish a 
reorganization. Its whole scope and tendency is divergent, 
not convergent. It rests on a vague sentimentalism. It 
claims to be a new revelation for the healing of the nations, 
a religion with millions of adherents, and yet it does not 
own a decent roof under which to worship. It claims to be 
the advocate of science, education, and morality. It has 
founded neither a library, college, nor school. It has neither 
a philosophy nor a polity. Its literature is a strange jumble 
of metaphysical jargon, extracted from the limbo of worn- 
out creeds. Its most ardent supporters are doubtful of the 
faith which is within them, and only strive to convince 
others, that their own convictions may be strengthened. Its 
doctrines are evolved from the individual consciousness of 
its members, and the one is as various as the other is nume- 



SPIRITUALISM. 23 

rous. Judging from its effects, their faith is out of har- 
mony with a proper performance of the duties of this life, 
and they are useful members of society much in proportion 
as they are derelict in their worship at the new shrine. 
Fortunately for the welfare of society, it has no elements of 
coherence ; otherwise its anarchical and revolutionary aims 
and tendencies would greatly endanger its safety. In criti- 
cising it thus harshly, but (I trust) justly, I distinctly dis- 
claim any intention to wantonly assail those who hold this 
"belief. As far as my observation goes — and it has been 
somewhat extensive — they are better than their creed. 
They are very generally found on the side of freedom and 
justice. They have the welfare of humanity sincerely at 
heart. I do not condemn them, only their faith. 

" Our special scientists are greatly to blame for the attitude 
they have assumed in regard to this subject. They have 
shown themselves to be wholly destitute of their true social 
function by prejudging this matter and treating it with 
contempt. Happily, they are at last beginning to show 
some appreciation of their mission by devoting some atten- 
tion to this subject. Say what you will, there is an enor- 
mous amount of testimony in favor of the existence of 
phenomena of an occult nature which is not included in the 
domain of science. But that these phenomena can be made 
to constitute the basis of a new religion is a sad commen- 
tary on those who direct the spiritual forces of Christendom. 
That millions of men and women, many of whom have re- 
ceived the highest culture our institutions of learning afford, 
can cast aside the faith of their ancestors, and find consola- 
tion for their souls in such a degrading superstition as this 
modern Spiritualism, shows conclusively how inadequate the 
popular theology must be to satisfy the spiritual needs of 
the time." 

A thoughtful silence followed this elucidation of Spiri- 



24 SPIRITUALISM. 

tualism in the light of Positivism, which the elegantly- 
dressed young man broke by the exclamation, "Are we 
going to dine ?" 

" I have never visited any of these media," said the mer- 
chant, " and I suggest that we make up a party and witness 
some of the manifestations." This was agreed upon. 

In carrying out this suggestion, a number of visits were 
made to different media. The two bankers, (who were 
brothers,) as has been intimated, had heard numerous stories 
in reference to the wonderful knowledge manifested by the 
media, and the information which they at times afforded 
applicants, so well authenticated as to stagger their unbe- 
lief ; and having at heart the intensest desire to learn of 
the manner and means of their father's death, determined 
to consult the media, carefully complying with every pre- 
scribed condition, in the bare hope that something might 
come of it. After visiting several, and submitting their 
questions, they observed that the answers received were all 
of the most general character, affording no clue whatever 
to the information sought ; that th,e responses from the re- 
spective media were often directly contradictory, always 
inconsistent, only agreeing in this, that the "spirit," for 
some reason, could not give the required information at 
present, but would do so on some future occasion, an inci- 
dent of which was coming again and paying another five 
dollars to the medium. After a variety of experiments, 
made by these and others of the seven gentlemen men- 
tioned, all tending to show that the pretenses of the media 
had no good foundation, it was determined to go to work 
and ascertain if these manifestations could not be accounted 
for without the agency of spirits. And so " the Committee " 
was constituted. 

A few words more in detail in reference to the personnel. 
One was a Spiritualist, made so, as he said, by the unac- 



SPIEITUALISM. 25 

countable manifestations he had witnessed. The others, of 
various temperaments and habit of thought, agreeing in 
this, that they were not inclined to refer unexplained phe- 
nomena to supernatural agency. Two were for twenty 
years merchants in this city, and for the past ten years have 
been engaged in a general banking business. One of these, 
from a boy, had been an adept at sleight-of-hand tricks, and 
had a variety of weird accomplishments with which he en- 
tertained his friends. A habit of looking into all such tricks, 
in order to discover the manner of their performance, had 
made him very acute therein, and it was his boast that no 
one of them could be repeated a certain number of times 
in his presence without his discovering it. Both the broth- 
ers were keen judges of human nature, and not accustomed 
to being imposed upon. Two were gold brokers, not reve- 
rential, but, as required in their profession, sharp, eager, 
watchful. The fifth, a well-known lumber merchant, of im- 
passive face and great acumen. Of the believer, a word fur- 
ther. He was impassioned and earnest, full of reasons for the 
faith that was in him ; a rationalist in this, that he must have 
something tangible, or seemingly so, as a base for belief. 
The seventh was a journalist. 

And here let us pause and consider. Above all things, 
let us be just, as, with much respect for Solomon, we are 
speaking of something new under the sun. A journalist, 
and accustomed to looking at human nature from that 
stand-point, not always a flattering one. Serene forever. 
Impudent if you please, from confidence in the strength 
of the " third estate" at his back. Not approving of " in- 
terviews," as calculated to bore both parties, but ready to 
visit Lucifer himself with pertinacity and equanimity if 
required. Knowing no difference in men in his presence, 
whether from social, intellectual, or political position ; all 
one before the impersonation of the great people — which he 



26 SPIEITUALISM. 

is — and so accustomed to speaking evil of dignitaries ; claim- 
ing to know all science and all knowledge ; at least ready 
to talk and write learnedly and exhaustively of them ; 
from long habit discovering pinchbeck at once as though by 
an enchanter's wand, yet not caring to talk about it, satis- 
fied with the conscious superiority of knowing ; the equal 
of senators and thieves, regretting that the line of demarka- 
tion, in these latter days, is so finely drawn, thus giving less 
scope to his talents ; having eveiy accomplishment or the 
power of affecting them ; a statesman, politician, lawyer, 
and theologian ; a man about town and of society ; harmo- 
nizing with the most luxurious mansion and not incongruous 
with the surroundings of a hovel ; a diner-out and a wit ; 
a charm in the domestic circle ; at home in the club or a 
corner grocery. In short, something modern. An Ameri- 
can and a journalist, evolving from his innate consciousness 
that there are humbugs in the world. 

These gentlemen became early convinced that " Spirit- 
ualism," as a faith or a creed, is not in harmony with a proper 
performance of the duties of this life. Supposed intercourse 
with the beings of another world makes its votaries careless 
of this. They seem to reason, " What matter what ye shall 
eat, or what ye shall drink, or wherewithal be clothed, since 
we are so soon to be with those who have no need of these ?" 
and so wait, longing and useless. They saw many with 
fortunes spent, families broken and separated, business 
ruined, energies wasted, and, being humanitarians, desired 
to do away with a delusion. This formed a strong incentive 
to investigation. 



CHARLATANISM. 



CHAPTER n. 



Though in the course of the investigation many visits 
were made to some of the media mentioned, I shall, for the 
most part, confine myself to but one interview with them 
respectively, as a sample of the whole, though giving, at the 
same time, the conclusions we arrived at from all the sit- 
tings accorded us, and shall refer to the individuals compos- 
ing " the Committee" only when necessary to a due under- 
standing of what took place. 

After consulting with our Spiritualist friend, who was 
acquainted with all the more prominent media of the city, 
and who was so certain of our ultimate conversion that he 
gladly undertook to introduce us, when necessary, into all 
the charmed circles where spirits from the vasty deep and 
other localities most do congregate, we determined to visit 
those considered the most convincing first. 

J. V. MANSFIELD. 

We therefore selected J. V. Mansfield, "test-medium," 
who, according to his advertisement in the Banner of Light, 
answers sealed letters, at 361 Sixth avenue, New- York. 
Terms, $5 and four three-cent stamps. Arriving at the 
house, we were shown into a bright, cheerful-looking room 
on the second floor, fronting the avenue. Having no taste 
for upholstery, I do not describe the furniture further than 



28 CHARLATANISM. 

to say that a small table, covered with paper and papers, 
occupied such relative position to the window as to receive 
the best possible light from it. We found the medium a 
well-preserved man of sixty, with black hair, combed directly 
back from the forehead. He received us with a courtesy 
bordering on bonhomie, and our attention was almost im- 
mediately turned to a very museum of curiosities which the 
room contained. He informed us that he had been a me- 
dium for spirit communication for more than twenty years, 
had traveled in every part of the globe, and, having a taste 
for curiosities, had collected those we saw around us, often- 
times at great expense, trouble, and finesse. He cheerfully 
remarked that he allowed nothing to stand in the way of 
obtaining possession of any thing in that line he took a fancy 
to — a statement we readily accepted — and he recounted to 
us one or two anecdotes illustrative of his capacity for appro- 
priating which were quite entertaining. Some ten or fifteen 
minutes passed in this way. Those whose task it was to 
watch him clearly perceived that he was on the alert every 
moment, keen, attentive, and ready to catch at any straw 
indicative of character or expressive of a fact. He naturally 
manifested no impatience and made no reference to busi- 
ness. When asked if he could give any manifestations, he 
did not know ; he could never tell ; as far as he could judge, 
the conditions were favorable. If we desired it, he would 
try. "However, spirits like mortals demand conditions," 
he said, " and without these, no manifestations can be had." 
While it would be a matter of indifference how many were 
present, if all were in harmonious relation, it was so difficult 
to find this in more than two persons that he had established 
a rule that no more than that number should be present. 
This had been anticipated, and all save the appointed two 
with meekness and solemnity took their departure. He 
then requested one of the visitors to sit at the table, upon 



CHARLATANISM. 29 

which were some long strips of thin, transparent paper, write 
a question addressed to some deceased person, sign it with 
the writer's name, fold it over in a prescribed manner, which 
left three or four thicknesses of paper outside of the writing. 
This was done, the question being written by the banker, 
addressed to the spirit of his father, asking how many per- 
sons were concerned in his murder, and how much a certain 
gentleman, still living, was indebted to him when he died. 
It was handed to the medium, who seated himself and be- 
gan manipulating, rubbing it with his hand, running out 
his tongue meanwhile, twitching convulsively at intervals 
without seeming result. He finally stated that perhaps he 
required a little more magnetism, and asked to hold the 
hand of the writer a moment. Immediately thereafter his 
arms began to shake rapidly, he rolled the paper into a much 
smaller compass, seized a brush from a mucilage-bottle, and 
pasted it together so that it could only be subsequently 
opened by destroying most of the paper. He |hen began to 
write with his right hand, his left index-finger meanwhile 
keeping up a constant tapping, not unlike the ticking of a 
telegraphic instrument, which he said indicated the response. 
He did not explain how ; probably not to the ear, as he subse- 
quently claimed to be entirely ignorant of what his hand 
wrote. An examination of the answer thus written showed 
that it indicated a knowledge of the question, but gave no 
clue to the information asked, save it stated that there were 
three persons engaged in the murder. The " spirit " could 
not tell how much the gentleman referred to owed him 
when he died, but promised to investigate and respond in 
the future. Whether this was to be done by consulting the 
ghosts of dead papers and of records long since passed into 
the maw of worms, or otherwise, did not appear. Farther, 
and in general terms, the spirit of the father was present, 
was happy to communicate with son ; couldn't " manifest " 



30 CHAELATANISM. 

much, as control of medium not good ; happy to see son in- 
terested in great truths of Spiritualism, and hoped would 
continue investigations. Would communicate more freely 
next time. The other visitor was then requested to write a 
question, which he did and in the same manner, addressing 
it to the spirit of his brother, and asking concerning a fa- 
vorite cousin. The answer came back pertinent, and, as the 
questioner glanced at it, he became very much affected, and 
hastened to the window with his back to the others, and 
remained there some time in a profound agitation. 

" What did you write, doctor ?" asked his friend. 

" I have no idea," was the response. " I never know 
what I write when controlled by the spirits. He seems 
very much affected." 

" Very much." 

The gentleman eventually recovered his equanimity, and 
the two took their leave. On their way down-town, they 
stepped into the respective places of business of the sup- 
posed deceased brother and cousin, and obtained a verbal 
certificate from them that they were not dead and had not 
been. The former admitted that he had been out of spirits 
during the morning, and even then had not a large stock on 
hand ; but he was certain his spirit had not been out of him. 
A knowledge that his brother and cousin, from whom he 
was receiving communications as departed spirits, were alive 
and well, accounted for his agitation while in the rooms of 
the medium. Subsequent visits to Mansfield were made by 
different members of " the Committee," with the same or 
similar results. Our questions were invariably addressed to 
living or fictitious persons, notwithstanding which their ac- 
commodating spirits were always at hand and in responsive 
humor. On one occasion, deceived by a pet name, the spirit 
informed us that a person we desired to communicate with 
was a darling little " angel in the ' Celestial sphere,' " where- 



CHARLATANISM. 31 

as in reality she is in 210 pounds of "earth-form," and the 
happy mother of numerous offspring. Answers from his 
sister were given to a gentleman who never had a sister, and 
from his brother to another who never had a brother. At 
different times, every member of " the Committee" was com- 
plimented on the amount of " magnetism" which his organ- 
ism contained, and assured that he would eventually become 
a medium of rare power. In no single instance was a parti- 
cle of desired information obtained, even when " the condi- 
tions" were strictly complied with ; and it soon became evi- 
dent that the only thing to account for was how a know- 
ledge of the question was obtained. After closely watching 
the medium — who, by the way, from long habit, has a thou- 
sand scarcely noticeable means of distracting the attention 
— the manipulation and rubbing of the paper, a study of the 
" conditions," the situation of the table with reference to 
the light in the fore and background, the style of paper and 
the soft pencil furnished the visitor, and the fact that the 
medium invariably rolled up the paper containing the ques- 
tion in much smaller compass before answering, and pasted 
it together with much mucilage, thus rendering an imme- 
diate examination of it impossible — the conclusion was 
reached that the question was read through the paper. An 
experiment under similar conditions demonstrated that this 
could be done with the greatest ease — an ease which ren- 
dered it wonderful that any body could have been deceived 
thereby. One of " the Committee," of whom Mr. Mansfield 
and subsequently other media stated, " He has wonderful 
mediumistic powers," at once began " to develop," and, by 
himself, and with the aid of his honest and sagacious asso- 
ciates, soon had manifestations which were declared by promi- 
nent Spiritualists to be the most convincing they had ever 
seen, though they had been twenty-five years investigating 
the subject. But of this more hereafter. Believing that 



32 CHAELATANISM. 

the slightest inkling of our design would prevent any fur- 
ther interviews with Mansfield, and that the extent of his 
manifestations would be in proportion to our apparent gulli- 
bility, we made no question of his genuineness, and accepted 
them as wonderful, if not supernatural. 

Though, at this time, fully satisfied that the " manifesta- 
tions," not only of this medium but of others, were the re 
suit of fraud and chicanery, such had been the wonderful 
stories told us, we were doubtful of our ability to get at all 
the tricks of the media. I remark, en passant, herein 
we did ourselves an injustice. They proved very simple. 
Very greatly inferior to the ordinary tricks of the necro- 
mancers. We had no difficulty. But, thus believing, we 
determined to take Mr. Mansfield into our confidence, ex- 
plain our appreciation of his " little game," and endeavor to 
induce him, in the interest of humanity, to assist us. I re- 
gret to say we misjudged him. He was obdurate. To the de- 
sired end, four of " the Committee" called on him in a body. 
He received us without suspicion, answered some questions, 
getting at the contents of the paper in a manner now so clear- 
ly perceptible that a maintenance of gravity was difficult. 
One of "the Committee" then quietly remarked to him, 
" Doctor, we have discovered your trick, and we think it a 
good one." Twenty years of practice in deceit had given this 
man a marvelous power of self-control, and yet for an in- 
stant, and in spite of himself, there swept athwart his face 
an expression which was the best evidence of the truth of 
our charge ; such as only the realization that the results 
of a lifetime of labor were about to be swept away, could 
produce. He recovered in an instant, however, and exclaim- 
ed, " You do not mean to say this is a trick ?" 

" Certainly," was the response ; " we have got it, and can 
do it as well as you can." 

" Let me see you do it then." 



CHARLATANISM. 33 

m " Sit down at your table and write a question, complying 
with your own conditions." 

He seated himself and wrote, taking particular care to go 
wide of the conditions he himself prescribed, making the 
paper much narrower and so folding it that the writing was 
in the crease, and, being reminded of this, refused to pro- 
ceed. He was then informed that we had no desire to make 
war upon him, but we were determined to get at the various 
tricks of the media, and wanted him to assist us. For a 
time he was undecided, and it was evident he was puzzling 
his brain as to the best course to pursue. He finally asked, 

"What do you wish me to do ?" 

" We want you to help us to get Slade's and Foster's 
tricks." 

" I am willing to do any thing to expose fraud, but I can 
not get a sitting with either Slade or Foster. They are not 
friendly to me. I would go on my hands and knees to 
Slade's house to find out the ' slate-writing.' " 

" Oh ! I reckon you can get it, doctor." 

By this time he had made up his mind, and resolved to 
defy us. " I tell you, gentlemen," he said, " you are all 
wrong ; this is no trick, and if you can do it, you are me- 
diums." 

Seeing farther effort would be useless, we arose to leave, 
when he said, " Gentlemen, I must be paid for my time." 

" O doctor !" said the banker, " you don't intend to charge 
us for this sitting. I would advise you not." He persisted, 
and, on being informed that we would not submit to the 
swindle without attempting redress, he defiantly exclaimed, 
" Do your worst, gentlemen; those who believe will continue 
to, and those who do not will disbelieve none the more." 
Ten dollars were given him, and we left him with his trick 
literally so transparent that a second-rate juggler would 
despise it ; left him to gloat over the weakness of human 



34 CHARLATANISM. 

nature, and to trade on the tenderest emotions of the human 

soul. 

"dr." henry slade. 

The attention of the committee had meanwhile been at- 
tracted to Dr. Henry Slade, located at 210 West Forty- 
third street, who is styled a clairvoyant physician, and gives 
"physical manifestations," ostensibly from spirits. This 
man's reputation is very high among the Spiritualists. He 
is by them regarded as the test medium par excellence, and 
to him is the doubting, inquiring mind led, that every cloud 
of suspicion may be removed and the trembling neophyte, 
awe-struck in the presence of the supernatural, may be ini- 
tiated into the glorious light of modern spiritual philosophy. 
And yet the doctor's tricks are very simple, easily discover- 
ed, and easily explained. " The Committee," in one or two 
sittings, albeit he was extremely suspicious, and doled out 
to them only a limited portion of the manifestations with 
which he entertains credulous believers, discovered the whole 
thing ; though, as with every medium, the conditions which 
his attendant spirits prescribe are precisely those which best 
aid deception. The conclusions which I mention in my de- 
scription of an interview are such as " the Committee " arrived, 
at after several visits, as the same manifestations were given 
and the same course of treatment pursued toward every 
applicant. On arriving at the house, the visitor is ushered 
into a reception-room by the medium's coadjutor and facto- 
tum — a flashy-appearing individual, with something of the air 
of a ring-master of a circus. It is clearly the task of this 
man to take the measure of the caller and to judge how ex- 
tensive a dose can be administered with safety. This he 
does by a few well-turned questions and a keen examination 
of the physiognomy and style of address. He then leaves 
the room to ascertain if the doctor can be seen, and after a 
time sufficient to communicate all that is needed, he returns 



CHARLATANISM. 35 

and reports the results. If any suspicions are entertained, 
the medium can see no one. Otherwise the visitor is re- 
quested to walk up-stairs. Here the doctor appears in per- 
son : no aged professor with wand in hand summoning spi- 
rits from a great variety of places, but a tall, slim young 
man of perhaps thirty-five years, arrayed in dressing-gown 
and hair whose elaborateness of curl is suggestive of the 
barber rather than nature. His manner is not impressive, 
and with all his practice he has not yet learned to appear at 
ease. The visitor, if calling for the first time, is compelled 
to undergo another examination here, before being admitted 
into the sanctum sanctorum. Several questions as to his 
residence and business are asked him, and if he volunteers a 
remark, is listened to with deference and encouraged to talk, 
evidently that some clue to his character may be obtained. 

" I painted that picture when in a trance," says the doc- 
tor, pointing to a portrait in oil over the mantel. " I never 
painted a line in my life when in a normal condition," he 
adds. When making this remark, his eye is intently fixed 
on the visitor, possibly that he may judge how much cre- 
dence is given to this wonderful story, that he may shape 
his course accordingly. It is seldom that more than one 
person at a time is admitted, and then only in case of be- 
lievers, who, accepting the manifestations as genuine, will not 
be likely to scrutinize too closely. Entering an adjoining 
room, neatly though rather scantily furnished, and present- 
ing an air of comfort, the medium removes the cloth from 
a table in the centre, and requests the visitor to examine it. 
It is a plain black- walnut table, with leaves, not differing 
from other tables, insomuch as the doctor's tricks do not re- 
quire that it should. His specialty is " slate- writing," so- 
called, or obtaining communications written by the spirits 
on a slate. One of these articles is produced, and the caller 
is requested to " examine that slate, sir." This he does, and 



36 CHARLATANISM. 

finds nothing on either side of it. If the medium intends 
to show a certain manifestation hereinafter mentioned, he 
takes the slate in his hand and walks to the corner of the 
room, returning at once. This is done as though incidental- 
ly, and with no definite object, and generally it is not noticed. 
Seating himself at the table on the side where the leaf is 
raised, he places his visitor to his right with the legs of the 
table inclosing him. He then bites a small bit from a pen- 
cil lying near, and places it on the slate ; this is for the use 
of the spirits. The next step is to place the caller in such 
position that he can see nothing under the table. This is 
accomplished by requesting him to cross his hands in the 
centre of the table and covering them with his own hand. 
In this position he waits for the necessary " magnetism." It 
will be perceived that the breast of the visitor is brought 
close against the edge of the table, and as he is thus held 
during the sitting, he has no opportunity to see the opera- 
tions of the medium's right hand, his legs and feet beneath. 
The slate held in the right hand of the medium begins mov- 
ing to and fro, which is attributed to the spirits. After a 
time, the medium asks, " Will the spirits write ?" Three 
raps against the leg of the table are heard and again un- 
der the heel of the medium, indicating, " We will." The 
slate is forced with great violence against the table near 
the edge, the medium making apparent efforts to force it up 
against the leaf, which is finally accomplished. A sound of 
writing is heard, and after a few moments the slate is brought 
out. If, after the examination of the slate by the visitor, 
the doctor walked to the corner of the room as described, a 
long and well- written communication from some spirit, gen- 
erally that of his deceased wife, as he states, appears upon 
it. If, on the contrary, he did not go to the corner, only a 
few marks are found on the slate, bearing some resemblance 
to writing, and which the medium deciphers to suit himself. 



CHARLATANISM. 37 

" I can read it because I am accustomed to it," he naively re- 
marks. It must be borne in mind that the writing is on that 
side of the slate which is seemingly close against the under 
side of the table, and the visitor who has seen it placed in 
that position with no writing upon it sees it withdrawn 
with the hieroglyphics upon it, and is mystified. As this is 
his most important and convincing manifestation, and the 
only one at all difficult to understand, which he would show 
the members of " the Committee," I may as well stop here and 
explain. And first let me say that all the demonstrations 
by the medium, in rapping the slate against the table in the 
violent manner described, his apparent endeavors to get it 
in proper position against the lower side of the table, follow- 
ed, when it is once there, by a sound as of a pencil writing, are 
made after the communication is written. The success of 
the trick is in leading the spectator to believe the writing is 
in progress when in fact it has been accomplished previous- 
ly. When the medium goes to the corner of the room, af- 
ter the visitor has examined the slate, he returns with an- 
other slate upon which the long and well-written communi- 
cation has been previously prepared. In no single instance 
has a second communication of any length been written, or 
one in a legible hand, the medium remaining at the table. 
The long dressing-gown he wears and a limited knowledge 
of sleight of hand render this change very easy. The few 
words of unskillful writing in which the later communications, 
invariably consisting of a few words, are couched, are writ- 
ten with a grain of pencil similar to those placed on the top 
of the slate in the presence of the sitter, lying on the finger 
of the medium and against the lower side of the slate, and 
this is done during the time the slate is moving to and fro 
while the medium has his left hand upon the crossed hands 
of the visitor in the centre of the table, waiting for " mag- 
netism." As the slate is about to be withdrawn, by another 



38 CHAELATANISM. 

motion which is " quicker than sight," it is turned as it is 
brought out, and the credulous spectator is certain the same 
side is presented to him which was against the table. This 
was evidenced to " the Committee" on several occasions by 
marks on the respective sides of the slate, which, being close- 
ly watched, showed that one side went under and the other 
came out. The members of " the Committee" were often as- 
sured by Slade's supporters that the writing was done upon 
the top of the table. To one of these a considerable sum, 
to be devoted to distressed mediums, was offered if Slade 
would do this in the presence of any one of our number. A 
sitting was obtained, and the doctor was informed of what 
was desired. " Oh ! yes ; that has often been done," he said. 
" I don't know how the conditions are. Probably if you 
come for just that thing, you will not get it. The spirits do 
as they choose, and will not be dictated to. However, I will 
try." An application was made to the spirits, who, being in 
an obliging humor, rapped out an affirmative by using the 
medium's knee against the table. This was highly satisfac- 
tory, and much interest was manifested. The two were 
seated at the table as before described, and the slate in the 
doctor's right hand began moving here and there, under the 
table, as usual, and the doctor began writing with his fin- 
gers as usual, too. He made several efforts to get the slate 
on the table, but without success. As he was about to suc- 
ceed and release it from his hand, the visitor exclaimed, 
" Turn it over, doctor ! I can see there is no writing on this 
side now." " I will," was the response, but he didn't. He 
shot the slate across the room, and going to pick it up re- 
turned and said, " You see there is no writing on either side." 
That was true, but the finger-marks where he had rubbed 
the writing off when he picked it up were plainly visible. 
The attempt thus proving a failure, it was not repeated. 
He then stated that he was suffering very much from 



CHAELATANISM. 39 

worriment of mind, owing to sickness in his family, which 
prevented his giving satisfactory manifestations. He was all 
" unstrung," and should not sit again for several days. The 
two gentlemen then withdrew. As we were satisfied that 
no farther manifestations would be given us, and with a 
view of ascertaining how much this "worriment," which 
prevented his sittings, was real, within an hour after his 
statement that he would give no more sittings, a slim-built, 
thoughtful-looking young man, with long hair, residing in 
a country village near Albany, might be seen ringing the 
door-bell of the famous test-medium, Dr. Slade. The door, 
as usual, was opened by the obliging Simmons, of whom he 
inquired, " Is this Dr. Slade ?" 

" No, sir ! but walk in." 

Ushered into the reception-room, he was asked if he de- 
sired to see Dr. Slade. 

Yes ! As he happened to be in the city, and his friends at 
home were much interested in the subject of Spiritualism, 
he had called, hoping to see some manifestations ; but per- 
haps the doctor 

" Retain your seat. Where do you reside ?" 

" Near Albany." 

"Have you seen any spiritual manifestations ?" 

"Well, some. We have our circles at home, and the 
table sometimes moves, and the raps are heard, but nothing 
further. We have read of Dr. Slade in the Banner of 
Light, and " 

" Excuse me a moment, and I will see if the doctor is dis- 
engaged." 

The thoughtful-looking young man retained his seat and 
soon Simmons returned and requested him to walk up-stairs, 
which he did. He was met at the top by the doctor, who 
requested him to walk into the parlor, to which he assented 



40 CHARLATANISM. 

without remonstrance. He mentioned his name and was in- 
vited to sit. 

" I called, doctor," he said, " in hopes to see some mani- 
festations ; hut I am aware " 

" Have you seen any manifestations ?" 

" Some few. I am not much inclined to helieve in such 
things ; but my friends wanted me to call, and if " 

" Walk into the other room." 

He did so, looking around with a certain solemn gravity 
as he entered. The doctor removed the cloth from the table, 
and requested him to examine it. 

" O doctor ! I am sure I have no idea ! Pardon me ! It 
is rather a delicate " 

" Oh ! I think nothing of that. Examine it." 

He did so in a very cursory way, and seated himself as 
requested in a chair to the right of the doctor. A slate 
was then produced and examined. It was chipped in one 
corner of each side, and in a different manner, which the 
thoughtful young man perceived, and which enabled him to 
verify the fact that the slate was turned on being placed 
under the table. The manifestations of slate-writing which 
followed need not be referred to, as they were in no way 
different from those already described. That the explanation 
heretofore given is correct was easily seen. At this time, 
the medium began to see lights in various parts of the room, 
now hovering over the back of a chair, now on the wall, 
again forming a halo around the head of the young man, 
who felt flattered, but was not otherwise impressed. He re- 
mained passive, not having much confidence in his ability to 
see these lights, as the spirits had declared previously that 
he was not a medium, and only after the doctor repeated, 
" Look there ! there ! don't you see it ?" several times, did 
he turn his head. Some manifestations — such as the tipping 



CHARLATANISM. 41 

of the table by the doctor's foot or rapping with his knee — 
invariably followed. A small accordeon was then produced, 
and, after it was examined by the visitor, the spirits were 
asked if they would play on it, and they rapped "yes." 
The hands were again crossed on the table, and the medium, 
holding the instrument in his right hand, under the table, 
played a familiar air upon it in a very creditable manner. 
That he was so playing was clearly perceptible in despite 
of the position. The visitor's attention being again called 
to the light, the slide in the accordeon was thrown out and 
upon the table. After a few minor manifestations, such as 
raising the table with his leg, which as it came down un- 
fortunately struck that of the visitor extended for that pur- 
pose, the doctor announced that he was sometimes con- 
trolled by the spirit of an Indian. This Indian, as others 
had been informed, died before the pale-face landed, but 
somehow had managed to acquire an imperfect knowledge 
of English, though with a peculiar objection to the nomi- 
native case. " I feel him coming now," said the doctor. 
A shudder or two, his eyes closed, and, extending his hand 
in salutation, he said, " Me Indian, me control this me- 
dium ; me come see you ; happy you come ; your friends 
glad you come here ; investigate Spiritualism ; make them 
very happy ; no manifestations much this time. You come 
again. Me control this medium, make many manifestations. 
Me go now. Good-by." And the medium opened his eyes. 
A few desultory remarks followed, the doctor stating, 
"We don't always get the best manifestations at the first 
sitting." 

" Yes ! so the Indian said." 

Solemnly the young man rose to leave. " You will find 
Mr. Simmons below, who will settle with you," cheerfully 
remarked the doctor. Mr. Simmons was there, and took 
his $5, as the medium had prophesied. Three minutes after, 



42 CHARLATANISM. 

a young man with long hair might have been seen seated in 
a Broadway car, whose cheerful countenance attracted the 
attention of the passengers opposite. Deceived by his air 
and language, both factotum and medium had been imposed 
upon, and the latter went through his entire role of tricks 
in so careless a manner that they were seen through without 
effort, and without any evidence of that worriment he had 
spoken of. 

"DOCTOR" H. C. GORDON". 

The wonderful manifestations made through this distin- 
guished medium were early brought to the attention of " the 
Committee." He was one of the few who possessed the 
occult power, not only of calling back from the spirit-world 
those who had departed hence; but, such was the wonder- 
ful development of his physical organism, that out from it 
went an emanation, which enabled the spirit to materialize 
itself, and once again appear in the form and with the linea- 
ments it had while here, only with a glorified beauty, which 
is of the realms where sickness and sorrow are unknown. 
Controlled, as was stated, by the spirits of a number of 
Catholic priests — the most prominent of whom was the late 
Bishop White — who had carried with them to another 
world the tastes and habits of this, the " doctor" had 
erected within an extension of his parlors, at 406 Fourth 
avenue, an altar, over which long wax candles shed a solemn 
light ; within whose niches and arches stole the fragrant 
incense, possibly as grateful now to the good bishop, using 
the olfactory nerves of the medium, as when on earth he 
waved the censer before awe-struck, kneeling thousands. 
Lying iu the centre was a copy of the New Testament re- 
vised by the spirits, who, it is hoped, manifested more in- 
telligence in the revision than they have when treating of 
matters purely earthly ; and the walls were decorated with 



CHARLATANISM. 43 

numerous scrolls, containing quotations from it. Other or- 
namentation, of the " Leo and Lotus" style, gave a pleasant 
if somewhat flashy aspect to the surroundings. Within it 
all sat the " doctor," an unpleasant spider, notwithstanding 
the corresponding gorgeousness of his raiment. White- 
haired, even to the eye-brows, and very pale, he affected a 
certain solemnity, eminently suggestive of unpleasant sen- 
sations in the stomach. The front-parlor was devoted to 
visitors, at so much per head, which kept the medium going 
until, his great work done, he should join the souls he had 
so much obliged by the use of his " earth-form" while in 
this life. Here, as within the " holy of holies," gathered 
the faithful and solemn, yet collected, witnessed the " spi- 
rits" called up by the " doctor's" art. Seen in a dim light, 
to be sure, and through a gauze curtain which hung across 
the room in front of the altar, some distance from it, and 
yet with sufficient distinctness to enable them to recognize 
parents, daughters, sons, friends, whose forms stole upon 
the retina, with weird mystic movement, accompanied by 
the " doctor." 

It was a good thing ; as witness the following certificate 
in the Banner of Light of January 11th, Anno Domini 
1873: 

SPIRITS MATERIALIZING THEMSELVES. 



Editors Banner of Light : The following is an account of a 
seance held at the rooms of Dr. H. 0. Gordon, 406 Fourth avenue, 
which, as secretary for the circle, I have been authorized to send 
you, with a request that you publish the same in the Banner at your 
earliest convenience. I have the original signatures in my posses- 
sion, and any person can see them by calling upon me at my ad- 
dress. Respectfully yours, 

Edwin A. Quick. 
61 West 18th Street, New-York, 7 
December 30, 1872. j 

The undersigned, from an earnest desire to assist in spreading the 



4 4 CHARLATANISM. 

truth, and from a sense of justice to a medium, very cordially bear 
testimony to the occurrence of the following facts, which we severally 
witnesse'd at the rooms of Dr. H. 0. Gordon, 406 Fourth avenue, 
New-York, on the afternoon of December 29th, 1872. There were 
present, besides the medium, ten gentlemen and three ladies. 

The firat spirit-form appearing — whose hair and beard gave evi- 
dence of the snows of many winters, and who was clad in Episcopal 
robes — was said to be Bishop White, the controlling guide of the 
medium ; an Indian woman then appeared, and after advancing and 
receding twice, permitted Mrs. M. J. Beaudine to place her hand 
upon her [the spirit's] head, when it vanished almost instantly. 
During the afternoon, a female spirit-form was developed, who finally 
advanced, passing in front of three persons to within six inches, and 
directly in front of her father, Dr. F. E. Andrews, who distinctly 
recognized her as his daughter. This spirit remained visible for the 
space of seven minutes, thereby giving all present an opportunity to 
see her very plainly. After this effort, the medium sank to the floor, 
apparently ver}' much exhausted. These were not simply flat pic- 
tures, but the head and shoulders (and in some instances, part of 
the body) were fully developed. 

In conclusion, we wish to say that every opportunity was given us 
to examine the rooms and surroundings, and we make this emphatic 
declaration : We know that we were not imposed upon nor deceived. 

William H. Wheat, James H. Monckton, 

Charles Winterburn, M.D., Henry Budlong, 

Mrs. Anna Kichman, J. H. Sheilds, 

James Bursen, M.D., Henry Whithall, 

William Mills, Mrs. M. J. Beaudine, 

Edwin A. Quick, Mrs. N. D. Monckton. 

Who could doubt ? 

"The Committee" was represented here but once. Un- 
toward events prevented a repetition. They realized the 
sensation of a cat in a strange garret. Also that 

" Decorations of the golden grain 
Are set to allure the aged fowl in vain." 

At the opened folding-doors, nearest the manifestations, 
was a table, at which sat a circle of believers, including 
several ladies, placed to the right and left of a vacant chair, 
to be occupied by the medium when desirous of obtaining more 
" magnetism." This is the subtle fluid through which the 



CHARLATANISM. 45 

spirits work. It will be seen that our desire is to instruct 
as well as entertain. These ladies reposed in a sublime 
faith ; they did not scrutinize closely. They also retained 
their seats, which made it embarrassing, since, to get near 
those " manifestations," it would be necessary to go over 
those ladies, faith and all. While the faithful were coming 
in, and contributing their dollar apiece, the medium was 
dressed in a blue gown, extending to his feet, with a uni- 
versity cap, likewise blue, and a waistcoat, from " Leo and 
Lotus," very pronounced. Until the dollars ceased to flow, 
he moved around within his temple, without any visible 
purpose, occasionally seating himself at the table and heav- 
ing a profound sigh, which was echoed in the bosom of a 
young lady of fifty, seated at his side. He finally wrote on 
a piece of paper, and handed it to a pale young gentleman, 
who proceeded to play a variety of popular airs on a melo- 
deon. The ladies sang a variety of airs, not popular, while 
the circle joined hands and went through a variety of con- 
tortions. The medium then wrote again ; this time a salu- 
tation from Bishop White, who, it seems, had appeared on 
the surface, but had not yet struck the retina of any one 
present. The bishop was glad to see us, but as he had so 
much the advantage of us, his greeting was received in 
silence. The medium then arose, retired to his sanctum, and, 
turning down the lights therein, changed his gown and 
commenced some performance, which could not be seen, as 
only a dim outline of his form was visible. A tall gentle- 
man, of inquiring mind, arose and turned down the gas in 
the room where we were seated, and as this made the light 
around the altar the stronger, the " conditions" were de- 
stroyed, and the " doctor" came out of his trance, and re- 
turned to the table in a normal state. The light was turned 
up again, and precautions were taken against a repetition 
of the outrage, which was calculated to bring the spirits 



46 CHARLATANISM. 

into stronger relief than they were accustomed to, and the 
medium resumed his unconscious condition. Farther occult 
performances around the altar followed, not visible to the 
audience, which sat in solemn stillness, awaiting events. 
Soon he appeared behind the gauze, clad in a long white 
robe, not unlike a surplice, but of sufficient fullness to inclose 
two or three persons, of his own size. By his side, and, as 
near as could be seen in the dim light, clasped in his ex- 
tended arm, which was covered with the folds of the gown, 
hovered a figure with the face of a young woman. It was 
devoid of expression, and with that stiffness of contour 
peculiar to masks or automatic figures, and yet an enthusi- 
astic lady recognized it as the face of her daughter, and 
" wished to state" that it frequently appeared to her in the 
street, and at her home ; that the features were as familiar 
to her as when on earth. After the exhibition had con- 
tinued for a few minutes, the medium retired, with his 
"spirit," to the darkness surrounding the altar. Other 
faces were shown, in the same manner, and afterward, upon 
the long kneeling-board of the altar, was seen the form of 
a " spirit-bride," extended at full length, and in bridal-robes. 
The picture was touching, and excited much admiration. 

While this was going on, the ladies were singing, mostly 
in falsetto, " Angels now are hovering round," " A charge 
to keep I have," and other orthodox hymns. The exhibi- 
tion over, the gas was turned up and the medium appeared 
with a censer in his hand, and, lighting the incense, waved 
it in front of the altar and above the floor where he had 
stood with his spirits ; at one time stamping with the ball 
of his foot as though scrunching a cockroach. This over, 
he seated himself at the table and wrote a communication 
from Bishop White, promising a different order of manifes- 
tations, more wonderful and convincing than ever before. 
He then came out of the trance and the seance ended. 



CHARLATANISM. 47 

Though this man's recent exposure has been thoroughly- 
ventilated through the press, I have given the details of 
the exhibition to show upon what puerile mummeries, pal- 
pable frauds and absurdities, many of the Spiritualists 
build their faith. To the eye of common sense, these fig- 
ures, exhibited with all the surroundings necessary to deceive 
the vision, were as easily explainable as any series of tab- 
leaux, arranged in a parlor for an evening's entertainment. 
There was not a single wonderful thing about them, not 
even a sleight-of-hand trick, and yet hundreds of Spiritual- 
ists, including many who claim to be men of sense, were 
deceived by them and fancied they really saw spirits of the 
departed. 

" The Committee" determined to go once more and then to 
see if those " spirits" were not as tangible to feeling as to 
sight. All the necessary arrangements were made, but hap- 
pily we were forestalled. A party of gentlemen — all Spirit- 
ualists and yet not to be gulled by such palpable hum- 
bugs — sprang in upon Gordon at the opportune moment and 
obtained possession of the "spirit" then in hand, and, 
searching through the apartments, found all the parapher- 
nalia, including the masks and figures he had used. These 
were subsequently exhibited at a conference of Spiritualists 
at Apollo Hall, in this city, and though there were, even 
then, found some who were ready to excuse and justify 
him, it was generally admitted that he had practiced de- 
ception. The majority, however, seemed to entertain the 
opinion still, that he was a medium of rare power, but had 
been influenced by evil spirits. 

b. w. FLINT. 

It has, no doubt, ere this been observed that the various 
media have their specialties, and that the spirits, probably 
with a view of promoting harmony, do not trespass upon 



48 CHARLATANISM. 

the domains of each other. As with the necromancers, 
they all have their peculiar " manifestations," and, though 
in process of continued " development" for years, and re- 
ceiving communications from every class of spirit, and, 
very often, from the same spirits, no medium ever performs 
as his neighbor does. In other words, each continues his 
little round of tricks, year after year, and, finding they an- 
swer his purpose, makes no change in them. 

Another class of media, whose pretenses, in the mind of 
common sense people are shattered by the simple statement 
of them, are those who answer " sealed letters." That is, 
those who answer communications contained within several 
inclosures, sealed with any number of seals and any amount 
of mucilage, and, as alleged, read by the agency of spirits 
without being opened. 

Of this kind is Mr. R. W. Flint, who has an office on 
Broadway, and whose terms are two dollars and three stamps. 
The attention of " the Committee" being called to him, a 
package was prepared containing the same question address- 
ed by a son to his father, which Mansfield had pretended to 
answer. It was placed within five envelopes, several of 
which were tied around with a string, and sealed with a 
great number and variety of seals, and taken to him. It 
was retained in his possession for a week. "When asked 
why this long time was necessary, he responded that the 
communications must be answered in turn, and showed the 
inquirer a large number he had on hand, inclosed in a great 
variety of ways — some in iron, others in tin and closely 
riveted. " Do you answer these ?" was asked. " Certainly," 
he answered. From the fact that at different visits made 
by the members of " the Committee" at intervals of longer 
and shorter duration, the same packages were shown, a con- 
clusion was pardonably drawn that they were made up for 
the occasion. At the end of a week, the question was re- 



CHARLATANISM. 49 

turned with an answer showing a knowledge of it, but 
furnishing no information save that, contrary to what 
Mansfield had said, it stated two persons were engaged in 
the murder. Farther than this, it was but another form of 
" spirit of father present ; happy to communicate with his 
son ; can not answer question without investigation ; con- 
trol of medium not good ; happy to see son interested in 
great truths of Spiritualism ; will communicate more freely 
next time." The seals, strings, and mucilage, however, 
seemed all intact. This puzzled the Committee for a time 
and until the experiment of opening a similar one was tried. 
It will hardly be thought necessary to go into a detailed 
account of the results of the experiment and the means 
used to open letters and restore them to their condition as 
originally closed. Dishonest post-office employees and 
others have done this with success for many years. Suffice 
it to say, that sealing-wax, made intensely cold, will easily 
separate from the paper on which it has been used ; muci- 
lage and glue can be softened by the application of steam ; 
and a little ingenuity and a careful observation of the ex- 
act condition of the inclosures, when received, makes the 
operation an easy one. In the opening of letters, as here- 
inafter described by the " medium" of the Committee, no 
other utensils than such as are found in an ordinary busi- 
ness office, and the steam from the heater, were used. 

A question, inclosed in several thicknesses of tissue pa- 
per and stitched down with a sewing-machine, made " the 
conditions" so bad that Mr. Flint could not get any " mag- 
netism," though he tried, and it was not answered. 

"dr." PARKER. 

Hearing that the spirits had learned to control the tele- 
graph and communicate through it by means of a young 
medium at the house of Dr. Parker, on Forty-sixth street, 



50 CHAELATANISM. 

and thinking it of interest as tending to the advancement of 
science, " the Committee" proceeded thither in a body with 
precipitance. Ushered into a parlor, we were greeted by 
the doctor, an old gentleman of shabby exterior, who pro- 
fesses to cnre all diseases by clairvoyance and mediumistic 
power. On announcing the object of our visit, we were 
shown into an adjoining room, and a circle was formed. A 
number of Spiritualists were present, among them a seedy' 
gentleman who had been a Methodist preacher, a doctor, 
lawyer, farmer, judge, and a variety of other things. A 
wire from a battery in a closet and connecting with an in- 
strument was carried around the circle and grasped in the 
hands of every person. In this manner we sat for half an 
hour, but the anxiously expected ticking by spirit-hands 
was not heard. The medium then began to tap on the ta- 
ble, in pretended use of the telegraph alphabet. Unfortu- 
nately for this small effort at deception, one of the gentle- 
men present was a practical operator, and, of course, at 
once detected the fraud. He then announced that " the 
conditions" were bad, and no manifestations of this cha- 
racter could be had. Upon being applied to, the spirits 
agreed to move the table, and another long sitting followed 
without result, until, at their request, the room was made 
perfectly dark. After an interval, the table began to tip, and 
the member of "the Committee" sitting near the medium 
perceived that he was tipping it. Attention was suddenly 
called to the beautiful stars shining in one corner of the 
room. All looked in that direction, and, true enough, there 
were two stars plainly visible to all, shining with a certain 
nickering light very peculiar. " Don't break the circle !" 
exclaimed one of " the Committee," who was seated between 
two of his friends, at the same time dropping quietly on 
his knees to the floor and beginning to creep around to dis- 
cover the cause of those stars. This was soon accomplish- 



CHARLATANISM. 51 

ed, and taking a pin, he inserted it into a minute hole in the 
panel of a side door, and the stars went out suddenly. The 
light burning through this small hole, only perceptible 
when the eye was on a line with it, struck on a mirror or 
some other reflecting body, and was thrown upon the wall 
in the locality mentioned. Meanwhile, as no manifestation 
could be had from the spirits, it was concluded to render 
them some assistance, and thenceforward the table tipped, 
at one time turning entirely over ; raps were heard in every 
part of the room ; the ex-preacher distinctly felt the grasp 
of a spirit-hand on his shoulder and leg, which he wished 
" to state for the benefit of those present ;" and all this 
without the slightest suspicion on the part of the Spirit- 
ualists present that they were the tricks of the unbelieving 
visitors. This sitting was subsequently referred to at a 
special meeting of believers as one of the most satisfactory 
and convincing that had been experienced by those present. 
Many other media were visited whose pretensions had 
not even a transparent trick to support them : " Developing 
media," who pretended to bring out the inherent mediumis- 
tic tendencies of applicants in such manner as they desire, 
as writing, talking, singing, or materializing media ; clair- 
voyant and magnetic physicians ; lazy, ignorant women, 
starving on their pretense in tenement-houses, holding up 
impositions so transparent as to be painful ; men who, with 
little knowledge of the healing art, claim to be influenced 
by a familiar spirit in the shape of a big Indian, and give 
advice in a certain broken English, the like of which no 
Indian either living or dead ever used. 

DR. FOSTER. 

It has been a source of great regret to " the Committee," 
that the absence of the famous test-medium, Dr. Foster, 
has prevented their attending upon his seances and witness- 



52 CHARLATANISM. 

ing his manifestations. They are, however, consoled by 
the fact that the " doctor" has inadvertently lighted upon 
the spirit of investigation in his peregrinations, and has 
been, as is claimed, thoroughly exposed by Dr. Thomas 
Nicholson and Dr. J. R. Graves, of New-Orleans. For the 
benefit of those who have not visited him, we state that he 
too has his little round of tricks, of which " the blood-red 
writing on the arm," hereinafter referred to and explained, 
is one of the most prominent. The expose mentioned 
takes up eight columns of a newspaper, and, of course, is 
too long for us to give any thing more than a condensed 
report of it, which we do by reproducing the following, 
which originally appeared in the New-Orleans Picayune. 
After some preliminary remarks on the subject of Spiritu- 
alism and previous exposes of pretended media, Doctor 
Nicholson says, 

" I shall now proceed to give a description of my seance 
with the celebrated test-medium. 

" I went to the St. Charles Hotel expecting to meet Dr. 
Rollo Knapp and others, to have a sitting with Mr. Foster. 
I misunderstood the time of our meeting, and as I was 
about to leave, I happened to see a well-known lawyer in the 
rotunda of the hotel, to whom I mentioned my purpose. I 
did not know that he was an intimate friend of Foster, and 
a real believer in the creed 01 Spiritualism, which dur- 
ing the seance I found him to be. He wished me to 
make some convincing tests, which I decided to do, with a 
determination to use and deceive, if possible, the famous 
medium. 

" He then wrote the names of three persons on three sepa- 
rate cards at the clerk's desk of the hotel, one of which he 
showed me. The cards were sealed in three hotel enve- 
lopes, which he handed me to put in my pocket, and we 
started to Mr. Foster's room, No. 83. I requested my 



CHARLATANISM. 53 

companion not to mention my name, but to introduce me 
as Dr. ****** ? a friend. 

" Mr. Foster required me to sit in a chair, close up to the 
table, and my companion sat opposite to him, saying he had 
proposed some tests which he had given me. I thought 
this a little hasty on his part, but thinking that the tests 
would be a fair illustration, I put them on the table. Mr. 
Foster seesawed them one after the other, in a conjuring 
sort of manner, across his forehead, and throwing one to 
me, he said, ' That is Mrs. Nelson, who died in Tennessee. 
Open it and see.' I found it to be true. This was the card 
shown to me before entering the room. Throwing another 
one to me, he said, ' That is Mrs. Stephenson. Open it and 
see.' It was true. ' And that is W. P. N". Open it and 
see.' This was true. 'He is standing by you,' said Mr. 
Foster. Now I thought my time had come for a genuine 
test. I told him I would write him the name of a dead 
friend, to see if I could get a communication from him. In- 
stead of doing this, however, I wrote a note to my com- 
panion, stating that I intended to test whether P. N. was 
really there or not. I said in the note that I did not know 
Mr. N". intimately, but would say that I was very intimate 
with him to Mr. Foster, and that I had done such services 
and acts of kindness to him that he would give some token 
of gratitude and tell Mr. Foster my true name. I carefully 
folded the note and gave it to my companion to put in his 
pocket. I did this because I did not intend that Mr. Foster 
should say that I would not acknowledge the ' facts. ' I 
then wrote five fictitious names, one of which was Dr. 
Wadsworth, the only one with Dr. prefixed to it. I admit 
that Mr. Foster requested me to write my own name, which 
I did not ; for I decided to follow the advice of the celebrat- 
ed philosopher Descartes — namely, in the investigation of 
the unknown, never to accept any thing as true which we 



54 CHARLATANISM. 

do not clearly know to be so. That is to say, carefully 
avoid haste or prejudice and to comprise nothing more 
in our judgments than what presents itself so clearly and 
distinctly to the mind that we can not have any room to 
doubt it. 

" Handing the names openly to Mr. Foster, I remarked 

that if Mr. P N was present, he would select my 

name, for he was intimately acquainted with me, and the 
services and kindnesses which I had rendered him were of 
such a character that he would certainly manifest some 
gratitude. Mr. Foster tore the names off the slip of paper 
separately and rolled them between his thumb and finger 
into pellets, threw them upon the table, and picked up this 
one and that one, saying, finally, ' Is this it ? Be sure. 
You say this is it ? ' He threw it to me, at the same time 
going off into a mediumistic swoon, spasmodically grasping 

my hand, exclaiming, with intense emotion, ' P says he 

will never forget your services and kindness to him, and he 
will follow you spiritually to the grave to bless you.' 
(!!!) Now, Dr. Wads worth was not my name, nor had I 
ever benefited the lamented gentleman whose spirit Foster 
pretended to be present and speaking through him. 

" How could I have deceived the spirit of P !N~ 

and Mr. Foster too ? And why would Mr. N" make 

such a huge fool of the world-famed spirit-seer ? 'The 
fraudulent imposture foul ' is too glaring. This one 'fact' 
alone is such a powerful negative against the claims of 
Spiritualism as to annihilate its pretensions to truth. 

" When I informed him of the deception, his face was 
blood- red, and he became very angry. After my companion 
quieted him, he was willing to let me proceed further. But 
he tried to make it an absolute condition that I should ask 
questions that were genuine. I consented vaguely, and 
with a bucketful of mental reservation. 



CHARLATANISM. 55 

" Again I assumed to be writing names, but I wrote an- 
other note to my companion, saying that I wanted to see if 
the spirit of Mr. Alford was present, a fictitious person I 
knew no more about than I do the gentleman in the moon. 
Handing the note to my companion, I folded up the name 
of Alford and gave it to Mr. Foster, stating if that gentle- 
man were present, I would surely get a communication from 
him which would test the whole of these curious things. 
Well, I got a splendid manifestation from my dear depart- 
ed friend, Mr. Alford ! Mr. Foster told me a great deal of 
Mr. Alford's regards for me. I endeavored to get a de- 
scription of my spiritual-found friend, but alas ! Foster 
turned his attention to something else. 

" I was afraid to say any thing about this deception. If 
I had, my seance would have ended. I 'made out,' as the 
children say, 'that it was all so,' and Mr. Foster, I was 
exceedingly glad to see, thought he had gained a glorious 
triumph. I wrote another note to my companion, saying 
I was going to try to get a manifestation from Mr. Henley, 
a being as fictitious as the ubiquitous Alford of spiritual 
fame. My companion put it into his pocket. Giving the 
name of Henley, which was folded up several times, I soon 
heard from this apocryphal spirit. Foster told me he was 
standing by my side, and he says 'his name is Henley.' (! ) 
' Mr. Foster, will Mr. Henley select my true name if I write 
it among several others ?' 'He says he will,' said Foster. 
' Very well, sir ; I will write them.' A few fictitious 
names were written, among which was my own. Mr. Foster 
treated them as he did the others, and selected Dr. Thomas 
Nicholson ! The inner temple of my being had generated 
so much humor that it was ready to burst. I could hardly 
proceed any further. The ridiculousness of the thing was 
getting too Quixotic. I managed, however, to get to my 
father, about whom I felt the awe of natural impulse. 



56 CHARLATANISM. 

" I prepared another note for my companion, telling him 
my father's name was George Nicholson, and if he were 
dead at all, I had good reason to believe he had died in 
Liverpool, England. 

" I asked Mr. Foster if my father were present. * Your 
father is standing by your side.' 'Well, where did my 
father die, Mr. Foster ? ' He gave me no answer, but told 
me to write the name of the place he died at among others, 
and he would select the time and place. I wrote several 
places in America, and Manchester, England. He selected 
Manchester. I told him no. ' Did you put the real name 
of the place he died?' 'No sir.' That worked him up 
to another rage. He demanded that I should write the 
right place. I pledged him that I would. He finally select- 
ed Liverpool, but had selected Mobile and Dublin before. 
I told him that it was impossible that my father could have 
died at the four places pointed out by him. He tried to 
throw the fault on me for deceiving. As a desperate final- 
ity, I said I did not know whether my father was dead or 
alive. This ended the scene. He got up from the table 
and paced up and down the room very angry. He would 
not, by any persuasion, accept my $5 ! There are several 
gentlemen of the city, whom I can mention, who have de- 
tected this self-asserting test spiritual medium. 

"I had unconsciously made a complete catspaw of my 
companion, but Foster would not listen to the notes in his 
pocket. 

" Dr. J. R. Graves devotes eight columns of his paper in 
exposing the impositions of Foster. I will only quote the 
following at present. Dr. Graves says, 

" 'After some time, he again looked toward me and said, 
"George Snyder, have you no relative by that name !" 
" Yes, sir ; what does he wish ?" " To speak to you." " Is his 
name Dr. George Snyder ?" " Yes, sir ; that's his name — 



CHARLATANISM. 57 

Dr. George Snyder." " Will he tell me where he died ?" A 
long silence ; but Mr. Foster busily engaged answering 
others. Finally, " Mr. Foster, you keep the doctor waiting 
a long time ; he is an impatient spirit unless greatly changed 
since last I saw him. Permit him to answer my ques- 
tion." "He says you must write down several places, and 
the correct one among them, and he will indicate it." I did 
so, and folded the slips and handed them to Mr. Foster, 
who soon returned "Memphis." I called the special atten- 
tion of the gentleman sitting by my side to the answer, 
when Mr. Foster anxiously asked me if it was correct. I 
informed him that Dr. George Snyder had dined with me 
an hour since, and if this was indeed his spirit, he had died 
within the last hour. The company was only momentarily 
stunned, but each eagerly urged him to obtain answers to 
their questions.' 

"Mr. Foster had no more communications for me during 
the rest of the sitting !" 

THE COMMITTEE'S MEDIUM. 

"—Ways that are dark 
And for tricks that are vain." 

I have stated that, as the various tricks of the media 
were discovered, one of the members of " the Committee" 
began to practice them — the object being to show how 
easily they could be performed and people be deceived 
thereby. We had observed that every medium had a fami- 
liar, in the spirit of a departed wife, or brother, or early 
love, which acted as a messenger in hunting up absent 
spirits, gave response to questions in the pretended absence 
of those called for, generally finding fault with " the condi- 
tions," and advising the visitor to come again. In a word, 
this familiar is used to tickle the fancy of people, induce 
them to return by promises of some wonderful manifesta- 



58 CHAKLATANISM. 

tion, put them off for a time, and so avoid inconvenient 
questions, and give time for investigation into the habits 
and associations of the sitter, if it should be thought worth 
while, in order to astonish him on some future occasion. 
As a test of this, many experiments were made, which, we 
well knew, would nonplus the medium, and never in a single 
instance did "the familiar" fail to come to the rescue, 
generally stating, through the medium (of course) that "he 
is exhausted ; the spirits will not control to-day ; the condi- 
tions are bad ; come again," and so on, ad infinitum, and ad 
nauseam. Our medium therefore found it necessary to 
have a familiar, and so selected " Kate Hughes," that being, 
in his estimation, a euphonious and pretty name, and thence- 
forward "Kate" was kept very busy in performing the 
duties of her class as described. No admission of trickery 
was at first made ; all the manifestations were received by 
" the Committee" with entire gravity and commented on as 
wonderful. The fact that a new medium had appeared, 
with wonderfully versatile powers ; indeed, not — as were 
the others — confined to any specialty ; a gentleman of 
wealth and social position, who made no charge and was 
therefore beyond suspicion, was whispered around among 
" the faithful ;" and as Spiritualists are never satisfied, but 
always seeking new tests, applications from them for a sit- 
ting were many and persistent. There was just enough 
difficulty placed in their way to stimulate curiosity, but the 
applications were always granted in the end, and not once 
was the fact of his being as wonderful a medium as report- 
ed questioned. The calm, steadfast, rapt expression of 
his face, growing gradually paler in his awful communion, 
was noticed and commented upon. Around his head was 
seen a halo of light from which looked out spirits of se- 
raphic loveliness. Placing his hand on a folded paper, con- 
taining a question, a la Mansfield, he adopted the style of 



CHARLATANISM. 59 

that distinguished gentleman — only not lolling out his 
tongue, as having an unpleasant effect — and wrote answers 
to hundreds of questions, giving messages from long de- 
parted and forgotten friends, concerning whom the visitor 
was ready tc swear the medium could not, by any possibil- 
ity, know any thing. Raps were heard about the room, the 
furniture moved, ghostly vapors made the air thick and 
redolent of spirit presence. Slates were obtained, upon 
which " spirits " wrote, under the table and on top of it, 
after the closest examination by the sitter, and without its 
being " out of his sight " for a moment. A clear explana- 
tion of how this could be accomplished was one moment 
given a visitor, and to his entire satisfaction, and the next, 
he would be bewildered and mystified by something incon- 
sistent with such explanation, and more startling than he 
had seen before. Amid it all, " Kate Hughes" was as active 
as a " little busy bee," now running off into space in search 
of somebody's grandmother, again settling some point of 
spiritual philosophy ; defining the status of Jesus and Mo- 
hammed ; rebuking a doubter ; explaining an inconsistency, 
and promising better " manifestations " on another occasion. 
She could control the medium when no other spirit could, 
and a nice though very busy time she had of it. 

Late one afternoon, after a variety of "manifestations," 
in the presence of many persons, and while they were being 
thoughtfully discussed, a knock was heard at the door, 
which, being opened, admitted a stranger of most respec- 
table appearance. He seemed somewhat astonished at the 
company present, but at once introduced himself, and was 
recognized by his name as a gentleman of great prominence 
in the financial world. After a short preliminary conversa- 
tion, he stated that he had been informed of a spirit-medium 
there, who answered questions in sealed inclosures, and he 
had called to submit one. He was told that such things 



60 CHAELATANISM. 

had been done, and was requested to write his question. 
" No !" he said, " I have it all prepared," and drew from 
his pocket an inclosure, made of blocked-tin, and securely 
soldered down. At sight of it, many of the Spiritualists, 
who were in entire sympathy with the medium, began to 
protest and talk about " conditions," etc. Such members of 
the Committee as were present remained calm, having an 
abiding faith. The medium took it in his hand, and stated 
that no such test had been submitted to him, and he could 
not tell. He held it for some time, placed it upon the 
table, covered by his hand, and gazing at the ceiling with a 
far-off, dreamy look, exclaimed, "We can answer it, but it 
will be necessary to form a circle." This was done, some 
twelve or fourteen sitting around and holding one and 
another's hand. The medium retained the inclosure in his 
grasp, and after a few moments became very much agitated 
and convulsed, and, turning to the table, wrote a detailed 
answer, involving the recital of a number of circumstances, 
and the mention of dates and names. After letting the 
pencil fall, and glancing over the communication, he re- 
marked to the gentleman who had brought it, "This is not 
addressed to you, sir." " No ?" said the other. " Well ! 
I didn't know but there might be something in this idea of 
1 thought-reading,' and I requested a friend to write it. I 
do not know what it is." Naturally, much anxiety was felt 
to see the question. After much difficulty, the inclosure 
was opened, and the question was found to be addressed to 
the name that was signed to the answer, and each pertinent 
to the other. The gentleman who had written the question 
subsequently stated that he had never written or spoken of 
it to the medium or any one else, and that the answer was 
entirely correct. Naturally, the Spiritualists were much 
delighted, and, as usual, convinced. On another occasion, 
a question, inclosed in a bar of soap, was answered with 



CHARLATANISM. 61 

equal facility. A gentleman of experimental tendencies, 
having some vague theory about electricity and non-con- 
ductors, submitted a question inclosed in a glass vial, im- 
bedded in a block of wood, and thoroughly sealed. A 
number of Spiritualists were especially invited in to witness 
the experiment. A circle was again formed and an answer 
written, which gave a detailed account of the death of a 
gentleman by a railroad accident ; how his body was so 
charred by fire as to be unrecognizable, and that it was 
only identified by his watch ; his place of burial was also 
mentioned. This was found to be correct in every parti- 
cular. Two of these inclosures were taken to a conference 
at Apollo Hall and publicly exhibited, as convincing evi- 
dence of spirit intercourse. 

The success of this "medium" in answering sealed com- 
munications sent in by various parties was equally great. 
A large number and variety of seals, etc., were used, but 
afforded little difficulty in opening them. Several " tests" 
were offered, consisting of questions so inclosed that the 
writers were confident they could not be opened without 

detection. Of this class was one sent in by Mr. P , a 

well-known Spiritualist of this city. He had inclosed it 
within a number of envelopes, the last being very inge- 
niously sealed with brass eyelets, perforating the paper 
containing the question on the two sides of a small enve- 
lope. These eyelets also inclosed on either side a circular 
piece of blotting-paper, tightly glued to the envelope, and 
very likely to be injured from the slightest tampering. 
Extending around the envelope and securely pasted were 
thin slips of paper of a peculiar character, manufactured 
especially for the use of the questioner in his business, 
very easily torn, and, of course, almost impossible to re- 
place. He admitted that he had furnished no spiritual 
medium with any such test. Notwithstanding the difficul- 



■ 62 CHAELATANISM. 

ties, it was opened, the question read and replaced. It was 
subsequently returned to Mr. P , with the usual re- 
sponse of the media when they fail, " I get nothing." He 
smiled a significant smile, and, opening the outer inclosures, 
was satisfied it had not been tampered with. He was after- 
ward furnished with an answer which astonished him. 

The well-known and belief-exciting manifestation of 
" blood-red letters on the arm," referred to in the descrip- 
tion of Foster's performances, had an amusing illustration 
on one occasion. Our " medium" was in a private parlor, 
where were gathered a party of ladies and gentlemen, who 
were shown a variety of manifestations. Among them was 
an unbeliever of emphatic manners, whose only reply to 
demands on him for an explanation of certain marvelous 
things was, " 'Tis all stuff and nonsense !" He was urged 
to write a question himself, which he for some time refused 
to do, but in the end assented. The " medium" took it in 
his hand, raised his eyes to the ceiling, and assumed the 
rapt expression for a moment, placed the paper to his 
forehead, gave a convulsive shiver, and exclaimed, in a 
sepulchral tone, " Would you know to whom your commu- 
nication is addressed? Bare my left arm !" This was 
hurriedly done, and there, in plain red letters, stood out a 
name. " Would you hear the answer ?" he continued, and 
then proceeded to recount certain circumstances at some 
length, which afterward proved a complete and truthful 
answer to the question. " That happened before the me- 
dium was born," said an elderly lady present conversant 
with the facts. The questioner was " dumbfounded," and 
every body else convinced. This trick is performed in one 
manner by writing with a pointed instrument upon the 
arm, and afterward rubbing it briskly, which brings the 
blood to the surface, and causes the letters to appear. 



CHARLATANISM. 63 

There are, however, other and better means of accomplish- 
ing it. 

"Touches by spirit-hands" is another manifestation 
which the "medium" early acquired. His method, which 
is the same as that used by the impostors, is to form a " dark 
circle," the sitters being close together — knee to knee. Any 
number may sit, but four or five is better for the purpose. 
Each then places a hand on the shoulder of his neighbor, to 
the right and left, so that every hand may be engaged, and 
no collusion possible. This, with the exception of the me- 
dium, upon whose head is placed the palm of the hand of 
the one sitting next to him on the right. The arm of this 
one, so extended to the head of the medium, is then tightly 
clasped by both his hands, the one partially covering the 
other, and the under thumb raised so as not to touch the 
arm. Clasping tightly for a few moments, the circulation 
is impeded, and the arm becomes slightly numb. The me- 
dium then gently lets fall his under thumb upon the arm, 
and, at the same moment, raises his upper hand, which is 
then at liberty, while the owner of the arm realizes no 
change in his sensations, but believes and will readily tes- 
tify that his arm was clasped by both hands every moment. 
The "medium" can now use his disengaged hand as he 
chooses, taking care not to relax his grasp with the other. 
He can lightly touch the shoulders or heads of those near 
him, finger the strings of an instrument, throw something 
across the room, and, with the aid of the imagination of his 
company, apt to be abnormally excited in the dark, do all 
the wonderful things concerning which we hear so much in 
connection with this " manifestation." 

It would be tedious and useless to give in detail all the 
manifestations given by the medium. Suffice it to say, that 
no manifestation was shown us in our investigations which 
we did not repeat many times. And further than this, we 



64 CHARLATANISM. 

produced as many samples of wonderful and unaccountable 
phenomena, showing knowledge of facts and names of 
which " the medium could know nothing," etc., as ever did 
any of the media in the same length of time. 

In my description of certain of these " manifestations," I 
have spoken of them as they appeared to the uninitiated 
observers, not thinking it necessary to explain the " way 
and manner," as it certainly is not now to say to the reader 
that they were all the result of trick and collusion. 

CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 

In closing this investigation, " the Committee" desire to 
call attention to a few well-ascertained facts, which, inde- 
pendently of our discoveries of trickery, at least tend to 
preclude the idea that the manifestations of the media are 
the result of supernatural agency. 

And first, we wish to state that our experiences and their 
results are herein embodied for the benefit of those who are 
ready and willing to accept rational and natural explana- 
tions of phenomena. To the class — and it comprises not a 
few — which says to us, " Because you imitate the things 
which Mansfield and Slade do, it is no evidence that the 
phenomena in their presence are not the results of spirit 
agency, though they may be of trickery in yours," we have 
nothing to offer. We assume that, if we can show that all 
the pretended manifestations can be explained by natural 
causes, intelligent people will discard the idea of their 
being the work of spirits. Of others, we can only say, 
" They are joined to their idols," and we are willing toilet 
them alone." 

We have found that the Spiritualists differ essentially as 
to who are genuine media, those upon whose revelations the 
faith is built. Some insist that certain ones are impostors, 
and others are fully convinced that the manifestations made 
through them are truthful and of spirit agency. 



CHARLATANISM. 65 

The clairvoyants who pretend to be under control of 
spirits, and to exercise a power of vision and perception 
beyond that of man in his normal condition, are as liable 
to be, and are, deceived as others, believing implicitly in 
the mediumistic powers of those afterward shown to be 
the most arrant knaves and cheats. An explanation of this 
is sought to be found in the statement that there are good 
and evil spirits which control the media, and this is called 
in to explain the myriad absurdities which are constantly 
appearing. It is not necessary to call attention to the fact 
that this entirely destroys confidence in any thing which 
" the spirits" may say, and that the faith built on the foun- 
dation of their revelations falls to the ground at once. 
There is, of course, no base for the statement ; it is a pure 
assumption, and in this the Spiritualist is consistent. 
Among philosophers and men of science — whom these 
people despise, claiming to be " babes and sucklings," as 
contradistinguished from the wise — it is the custom to as- 
certain facts and then devise a theory in explanation, and 
in such proportion as it is consistent with the facts is it 
considered correct. But the Spiritualist, illogical in this as 
in every thing, invents both theory and facts. 

Communications addressed through different media to the 
same spirit result in entirely different and inconsistent an- 
swers, and, though communications from one spirit are ob- 
tained through a dozen different media in succession, no one 
ever refers to any previous interview had elsewhere, but all 
start off with an expression of pleasure in being able to com- 
municate, "have long desired to," etc., and this, though a 
long interview had taken place half an hour previously 
through another medium. 

We have found that no statement of a believer in this 
monstrous delusion, touching any "manifestation," can be 
relied on, though he be ever so honest at heart. They in- 



66 CHARLATANISM. 

variably mistake the impressions they receive for facts, and, 
not infrequently, will claim for the medium what he never 
claimed for himself. 

Noticing the intentness with which media are in the habit 
of listening to every word let fall, it became the custom of 
the members of " the Committee" to casually mention names, 
ostensibly of friends deceased. These were invariably re- 
produced by the respective media, on some other occasion, 
whether of real or fictitious persons. 

The great successes of the media are constantly blazoned 
abroad, and the impression is created among the unthinking, 
that these are fair samples of their powers. The mani- 
festations that are by no means remarkable make up the 
great mass ; but occasionally — for example — the medium 
somehow obtains a knowledge which enables him to surprise 
and startle. Names and circumstances are lugged in, not 
incidentally — the medium seldom having sense enough for 
that — but with a directness which betrays the purpose. And 
these are the tests which are made known to the world. 

No medium has ever imparted any valuable information 
to the world. Our ignorance of the " Great Unknown" is 
as dense to-day as ever. It is claimed that media have 
given valuable advice to business men. Well ! This Com- 
mittee can do that too. Farther, there have come to its 
knowledge several instances where immense sums of money 
have been lost by men who have been foolish enough to fol- 
low the advice of " spirits," given through media. It is, 
moreover, a sufficient answer to this pretense to say, what is 
well known, that these people, as a class, are among the most 
impecunious in society. 

If any one will take the trouble to read the literature of 
Spiritualism or listen to a number of its orators, he will see 
that it has no well-defined doctrines, no creed ; that the 
theories and speculations are as various as those who enter- 



CHARLATANISM. 67 

tain them are numerous, and, like the German metaphysi- 
cian, its votaries evolve their ideas from the depths of their 
inner consciousness. Though, as they state, in constant 
communication with the beings of another world, few agree 
upon the character of that world, the condition of its inhabi- 
tants, or upon their aims and purposes. ~No Spiritualist is 
thoroughly satisfied of the truth of spirit intercourse with 
mortals. They are all " investigators," though they may 
have been professed Spiritualists for a quarter of a century. 
They are constantly seeking for new and more satisfactory 
" tests," and they resent any attack on their theories with a 
sensitiveness which evinces a consciousness of their weakness. 
A theory very generally advanced is, that media are pe- 
culiarly susceptible to the influence of both good and evil 
spirits, and that they are not responsible for their actions 
when thus influenced. The grossest immorality is preva- 
lent among some of them, which is sought to be excused by 
even certain upright and well-meaning people, on the ground 
that the spirit, and not the medium, is responsible. Nume- 
rous anecdotes, calculated to make the superficial laugh, and 
yet of the saddest moral, are told, showing the evil actions 
committed and the immoralities indulged in by both men 
and women under this pretended influence, and for which 
they insist they are not responsible. We need not point out 
how every prop of morality, every bulwark of society, is 
thrown down by this hideous assumption. 



AN APPENDIX. 



Natttkally the expose of fraud and charlatanism on the 
part of the most prominent media of the city or of the world, 
as it originally appeared, created a profound sensation among 
the Spiritualists, and the attendance at the regular weekly 
conference, at Apollo Hall, held on Sunday afternoon, the 
16th of March, was very large. The usual platitudes were 
indulged in by a variety of speakers, who — probably out of 
regard for human life — are confined to ten minutes of time. 
Though they made no allusion to the expos'e, it was evi- 
dently in the mind of every one, and an uneasy, agitated 
spirit was abroad. A young man finally arose, announced 
himself a " searcher after truth," and said he came there to 
speak about what appeared in that morning's World. This 
broke the ice, and a fearful onslaught was made upon " the 
Committee" by several speakers, the most virulent of whom 
were certain persons who had pronounced the " manifesta- 
tions" through " our medium" the most convincing tests 
they had ever witnessed. We are pleased to be able to say 
that the more thoughtful and intelligent Spiritualists have 
been with us from the start, have manifested no disposition 
to uphold the cheats and tricksters we have undertaken to 
expose, but on the contrary, have sustained us in every way, 
and have furnished us with a great variety of valuable in- 
formation, going to show the fraudulent character of the 
media. 

Those who attacked us on the occasion referred to were 
especially emphatic in their indorsement of Slade, who had 
for them produced the manifestations of slate- writing many 
times without, as they alleged, ever touching the slate, and 



AN APPENDIX. 69 

they were ready to guarantee he would do it again. This 
led to the following correspondence : 

LETTER TO DR. HENRY SLADE. 

New- York, March 17, 1873. 
Dr. Henry Slade, 210 West Forty-third Street, City : 

Dear Sir : Yesterday, at Apollo Hall, we made the fol- 
lowing proposition ; viz., that we would donate five hundred 
dollars ($500) to any charitable institution which might be 
selected by the members of the conference, on condition 
that you would write or cause to be written a single line, 
across a slate laid on top of a piece of pencil, placed where 
we may desire to place it, upon your table ; the slate to be 
furnished by ourselves, and your hands never to touch the 
slate or the pencil. It is claimed by'those who firmly be- 
lieve it, that you have done this and more, and that you can 
do it again. If you really can, we suppose you will be more 
happy to be the means of contributing this amount to cha- 
rity, than you would be to receive the ten dollars which 
would otherwise be the cost of the seance, hence we expect 
the stance free. It is, of course, expressly conditioned that 
the writing shall be done in the presence of Mr. Grant and 
Mr. Tifft, and as many others of our friends as you choose to 
admit. We, however, insist only on the two. If you are will- 
ing to submit to this test, please inform us by bearer in 
writing, naming any hour of any day this week (in the day- 
time) when we can meet you, and we will call at your place. 
Your kind attention and reply, giving us at least one day's 
notice, so that we may arrange our business accordingly, will 
greatly oblige, yours very respectfully, 

(Signed) J. N. Tifft, 

William G. Grant, Jr., 
John S. Schultz, Jr., 
Henry R. Tifft, 
F. D. Merserau. 



70 AN APPENDIX. 

THE EESPONSE. 

210 W. 43rd St. K Y. 

March 18. 1873. 
Mr. J. K Tifft and others. 

Yours of yesterday containing your proposition made at 
Apollo Hall on Sunday the 16th inst. viz : 

That you would donate five Hundred dollars to any chari- 
table institution on condition that I would write or cause to 
be written a single line across a slate laid on top of a piece 
of pencil placed where you might desire to place it on my 
table — 

The slate and pencil to be furnished by yourselves, and I 
am not to touch either slate or pencil. 

In reply I must inform you that your proposition does 
not come within the province of any thing I might claim in 
regard to the manifestation of writing, that has repeatedly 
occured in my presence. Therefore I have no warrant or 
authority for accepting it — For obvious reasons. You pro- 
pose that I shall write a line across a slate, or cause a pencil 
to write a line without myself touching either slate or pen- 
cil. 

My dear Sirs you would have been just as consistent to 
have made this proposition to your nearest neighbor as you 
have been in making it to me — Because I claim the writing 
that has so often occured in my presence during a period of 
some years is a phenomenon over which I have no controll 
whatever. 

Therefore I have no authority to say that it will occur 
again — 

It is recorded in history and believed by many that on a 
certain occasion a hand appeared and wrote upon the wall. 

Was either of the persons present charged with writing 
the ominous sentence ? 

Or were they ever called upon to repeat it ? It is not un- 



AN APPENDIX. VI 

comon for me to sit with persons for these manifestations 
and fail to obtain any 

This is no disappointment to me — 

But when they do take place my surprise can hardly be 
less than those who witness it for the first time — And were 
they never to occur again it would be no evidence against 
the genuineness of those witnessed by thousands of inteli- 
gent men and women whose testimony would be taken as 
evidence in any court of Justice upon any other question — 

This it seems you are trying to overcome by declaring 
that you have failed to witness what others may have told 
you they have seen — 

If that is satisfactory to you it certainly is to me. for I 
am fully aware that an acceptance or denial by one man or 
any number of men will make no difference with the facts. 

It is unpleasant for me to attempt to discuss this or any 
other question, as it unfits me for the duties to which I am 
devoting my life — and the conditions you propose under the 
circumstances in this case would create that anxiety of mind 
with me that I could not for a moment expect the manifes- 
tation to occur. 

I will say in conclusion your offer financialy considered is 
liberal. 

And should you still be very desirous of bestowing it 
upon the needy, I trust you will have no difficulty in finding 
those to whome it would be acceptable. 

Respt 

Dr. H. Slade * 

Subsequently many of the intimate friends and ardent 
supporters of Dr. Slade endeavored to prevail upon him to 



* This letter is reproduced here with all its excellencies and defects, as written. 
—Author. 



72 AN APPENDIX. 

attempt the manifestation. All were very positive he would 
consent. A number of " Angel Guides" informed their sub- 
jects that he would ; in substantiation of the great truth of 
spirit intercourse. But he didn't and wouldn't, and so the 
" great truth" suffers for want of this confirmation. 

The Committee is willing the reader should draw his own 
conclusion from this correspondence, only desiring, in this 
connection, to say a word in reference to a manifestation 
which has been frequently called to our attention, and of 
which Dr. Slade speaks in his letter. . We refer to the 
" Handwriting on the Wall." The Committee admit a cer- 
tain degree of ignorance concerning it. It occurred some 
time since, and who the medium was is not stated. We 
have only to say : Had we been there, and been called upon 
to pay $5 for the exhibition, we should have made some in- 
quiries. And here, too, we would call attention to the 
remarks of a Spiritualist, reported in the World of March 
23 d, as follows : 

" Such a proposition as the one made to Dr. Slade is ab- 
surd, if there is any truth in the manifestations from spirit- 
land — a mere begging of the question. Just apply it to 
one of the miracles of old, and see. Moses went up forty 
days into the mountain, and was hid from the people in fire 
and smoke. When he returned, he brought the tables of 
stone, written on by the finger of God. Imagine a com- 
mittee from the Hebrew laity, taking him by the beard and ad- 
dressing him in the spirit of Slade, < See here, Moses, that 
writing is very well done, but you were gone forty days in 
the mountain, and hidden all the time in clouds and sulphur 
smoke. Now we will put faith in the miracle, if you will 
let us furnish a couple of tables, and take a deputation from 
our number up into the mountain with you, do away with 
the clouds and smoke, and write, or cause to be written, a 
single law upon our tables.' The merits of the question of 



AN APPENDIX. 73 

spirit-manifestations in fact, are precisely the same in one 
case as in the other, and the reply in each the same." 

Though Spiritualists are energetic and persistent in their 
denunciation of the Bible, and stigmatize those who believe 
in it as a divine revelation, they are ever ready to go to it 
for facts, when it suits their purposes. Unlike them, we ac- 
cept the venerable tradition referred to in the above extract, 
but .we fail to see the parallel in the two cases. If Moses 
had been in the habit of going up into the mountain and 
bringing down stones with inscriptions, which he claimed 
were written by supernatural agency, and making the 
children of Israel pay $5 apiece for the exhibition thereof, 
we think a committee of the Hebrew laity would have been 
justified in taking a look inside of the cloud. This " Com- 
mittee" certainly would have donned its " sandal-shoon and 
scallop-shell " at once. 

We have, during the past month, received an immense 
number of letters, making inquiries, reciting tests, inform- 
ing us of tricks on the part of certain media, discovered by 
the writers, and more than all abusing us, in a manner 
which savors more of the sensual and devilish than the 
spiritual and lovely. Although causing us much trouble 
and expense, we have endeavored to answer all such as have 
been addressed to us in the spirit of courtesy. To others 
we have paid no attention. 

At this point we desire to state, that we entertain the 
usual opinion among gentlemen, regarding anonymous 
writers. Their communications find their way, at once, to 
the waste-paper basket, when addressed to us, without the 
compliment of reading. 

We have thought a sample of the correspondence in 
which we have been engaged may be of interest here, and 
we insert one or two. 



74 AN APPENDIX. 

[From N. Y. Herald, March 30.] 
THE EXPOSURES OE MEDIUMS. 

To the Editor of the Herald : 

Is there no love of truth and fairness in the New-York 
press while treating of Spiritualism? The Herald has 
seemed most fair in giving all sides of questions, so I have 
appealed to it. If the papers must have sensations, why 
not attempt to slaughter some cause that is a little less 
sacred than the only one which pretends to give facts in 
proof of the soul's immortality ? Lately the Sun, and still 
later the World, have attempted to expose our principal 
mediums, and show that they are all frauds, and although their 
correspondents have skillfully perverted facts to suit their 
prejudices, the Times has seemed to believe them and 
comes out editorially, signifying that mediums are impostors 
and Spiritualists a set of dupes who can not see into deception 
excepting when others show it to them. The stupidity of 
this insult may be seen when it is remembered that many 
of the most eminent men of science and letters of the day, 
many of the greatest geniuses of all ages, and all the mon- 
archs of Europe admit the facts of Spiritualism, and enter- 
tain spiritual mediums. The seven "gold brokers" and 
others, who went out to get up a sensation for the World, 
by tearing down characters which are precious to thousands, 
say they have " friends and relatives," who, since they have 
become Spiritualists, have been " of little or no practical use 
to themselves or any body else," and that a desire to rid 
these people of a " delusion" exercisecta controlling influence 
upon them. I do not wish to be personal, but it is not a 
good omen for them to have " friends and relatives" so in- 
ferior as to be injured by the beautiful facts of spirit com- 
munion, and, moreover, it would have looked better if they 
had possessed a supreme desire to ascertain the truth with 



I 



AN APPENDIX. V5 

reference to these mediums, instead of having such a deter- 
mination to put them down for the good of these friends. 
But multitudes almost too great to number have received 
benefits from Spiritualism — have been convinced of the 
soul's immortality and glorious destiny — have been cured 
of what were pronounced incurable diseases by all other 
methods, and have had the fear of death completely dissi- 
pated. The monarchs of Europe are also sufficiently ad- 
vanced to see the benefits of Spiritualism ; for the freeing 
of the twenty million serfs of Russia, and the great move- 
ments for religious liberty in Austria and Italy, were 
brought about through the hated mediums. But what have 
these seven men of the world done ? Have they loved truth 
as did the eminent savant, Professor Hare, who proved this 
matter through all kinds of machinery and experimentation 
for years, through mediums, until he was converted from 
his atheism ? Have they equaled Judge Edmonds, who made 
this great subject a special study of over two years before 
he decided ? Have they imitated the " Dialectical Society," 
which includes many of the greatest scientists of England, 
and which, after forty meetings for investigation of the sub- 
ject, decided that there was a power manifested apart from 
all visible forces, and one which exhibited " intelligence" ? 
No ; they are not that sort of men. They have manifested 
great ignorance of the philosophy of mediumship to start 
with, which they might have remedied if they had read 
Mr. Hazard's treatise on the same. This is what they have 
done : 

First. They have perverted the truth with regard to Drs. 
Slade, Mansfield, etc., by pretending to do all that they can 
do, while they in reality counterfeit only the poorest part 
of what hundreds of the sharpest and most intelligent men 
in the country have seen these same mediums do. Thus, let 
a stranger bring them a double slate of his own, place it on 



70 AN APPENDIX. 

an uncovered table in daylight, place a small pencil inside 
it, cause the small pencil to write by itself so that every 
stroke is heard, and then on opening it find a message writ- 
ten in English or French, and perhaps a name of a departed 
friend signed. This will be truly imitating one of Slade's 
difficult features. Further, I hold in my pocket a long slip 
of paper, on one end of which I wrote a question, and then 
after folding it ten times so that no mortal eye could read it, 
handed it to Dr. Mansfield, who answered it immediately, 
and gave several names of departed friends that no one in 
New- York, himself included, had heard of. Multitudes 
have had equal experiences, and fourteen languages have 
been written through his hand. But I have not space here 
to notice the slashing remarks about others, especially 
Foster, whom they admitted that they had not seen at all. 

Second. These brokers and merchants, who, from their 
avocation, should understand the money market better than 
the subtle laws of mind, have after these brief investigations 
attempted to settle what scientists require years for, by 
blackening the characters of several much esteemed men, 
and have wounded the feelings of thousands who under- 
stand this subject far better than they. They are welcome 
to their reward. E. D. B. 

THE RESPONSE OF " THE COMMITTEE." 

[From the Herald of April 6th.] 

THE EXPOSURE OF MEDIUMS. 

To the Editor of the Herald : 

As we are equally satisfied with your correspondent " E. 
D. B.," in his communication with the above heading, 
published in your issue of last Sunday, that the Herald is 
fair in giving all sides of questions, we venture to appeal to 
it in response. 

Though "E. D. B." sees fit to cloak himself under these 






AN APPENDIX. 77 

initials when attacking gentlemen whose names have been 
made public, yet it is easy to perceive from the tenor of his 
communication that he is a believer in the alleged mani- 
festations, since, like the majority of that class, he deals in 
pure assumptions, without a single prop to support them, 
and in an entire perversion of facts. And first we challenge 
him to name one single scientist, recognized as such, who 
admits the assumptions of modern Spiritualism. It is true, 
some of them have admitted the fact of strange phenomena, 
but no one the explanation given. On the contrary, they 
have, with natural unanimity, especially disclaimed the idea 
of spirit agency. How men of science really regard this 
delusion may be gathered from the response of Professor 
Huxley to the Committee of the Dialectical Society of Lon- 
don, appointed to investigate and report on these pheno- 
mena, asking him to join it. He says, in effect, "In my 
investigations, which have been of considerable extent, I 
have discovered only gross ignorance or willful fraud, and, 
&s far as I am individually concerned, I would rather live 
and be a crossing-sweeper than to become a spirit and talk 
nonsense through a medium at a guinea a seance." And 
Professor Tyndall, who recently went from among us, and 
whom we all so much admire, has expressed similar views. 

As to the greatest geniuses of all ages, what their opinions 
may have been we will not stop to inquire, only, as Spirit- 
ualism celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary last Sunday, 
if what " E. D. B." says is true, they must have believed in 
Spiritualism in the spirit of prophecy. 

We confess our ignorance of the "beautiful facts of spi- 
rit communion," notwithstanding our many visits to the 
more prominent mediums with a view of learning of them. 
If they consist of table-tipping, writing nonsensical answers 
to foolish questions, playing a cheap accordeon with one 
hand under a table, then we have some knowledge ; but 



78 AN APPENDIX. 

after hearing many spiritualist orators, and reading much 
of the literature, we are ready to challenge its votaries to 
point out one new fact, new truth, or new thought which it 
has discovered or originated. There is not one. As has 
been said, " Its literature is a strange jumble of metaphy- 
sical jargon extracted from the limbo of worn-out creeds." 

In reference to the report of the London Dialectical So- 
ciety, " E. D. B.," as usual, tells only half the truth, and so 
leads the reader to an utterly false conclusion. While this 
committee admitted strange phenomena, so far from admit- 
ting the assumption of spirit agency, they called for further 
scientific examination to ascertain the true source, nature, 
and power of the force displayed, and its more prominent 
members — notably Mr. Edward W. Cox, in his Spiritualism 
answered by Science — have shown that the phenomena, 
including the " intelligence" manifested, were wholly incon- 
sistent with the spirit theory. 

We admit that Professor Hare was an eminent special 
scientist, and we state, moreover, that he is not recognized 
or quoted as an authority on scientific subjects ; that Judge 
Edmonds and Robert Dale Owen are men of intelligence. 
That so few of their class have accepted Spiritualism is an 
evidence that the age is breaking off the shackles of super- 
stition. These men have proved as perfect a godsend to 
Spiritualists as has Fred Douglass to the colored race, and 
they are hurled at the head of disbelievers at every turn ; 
but, with feelings of high regard for these gentlemen, we 
respectfully decline to believe because they do, nor have we 
been able to find, either in their speeches or writings, any 
thing which convinces us. 

It is no new thing for the monarchs of Europe to enter- 
tertain themselves with fools and jugglers. It has been the 
custom for some centuries ; happily in former times more than 
at present. That they continue to do so, may be cause for re- 



AN APPENDIX. 79 

gret. It certainly can not be regarded as an evidence of 
the truth of Spiritualism. 

As to the freeing of the 20,000,000 serfs of Russia and 
the great movements for religious liberty in Austria and 
Italy being " brought about by the hated mediums," we 
have only to say, in the language of the Scotch verdict, 
" not proven." 

In reference to the investigations and exposures of me- 
diums made by this "Committee," we would state that the 
manner in which they have been received by the more in- 
telligent and thoughtful Spiritualists of Apollo Hall has 
been a sufficient reward. We do not claim to be men of 
science, nor was it necessary for the purpose of this investi- 
gation that we should be. We do claim to be able to detect 
fraud and expose trickery, and now repeat that every mani- 
festation made by Slade, Mansfield, and others in the presence 
of the members of this Committee were mere tricks, which 
we have reproduced again and again in the presence of and 
to the entire satisfaction of more than a hundred of the in- 
telligent Spiritualists referred to, as they will readily testify. 
And, further, we repeat that this committee have offered to 
Dr. Slade, and now offer to any medium, the sum of $500, 
to be devoted to any charitable object named by him or 
her, if he or they will write or cause to be written, or in- 
duce a spirit to write, one line or two words on either a sin- 
gle or double slate lying upon a table, in the presence of 
this " Committee," or any two members of it — the slate not 
to be touched by the medium after our final examination of 
it. And we further offer the same sum of $500, to be applied 
as stated, to any medium, if he or she will show or cause to 
be shown any manifestation or manifestations of any cha- 
racter whatever, which they ascribe to the agency of spirits, 
which this Committee can not explain and fully account for 
by natural causes, we being at liberty to pursue our investi- 



80 AN APPENDIX. 

gation in our own manner. And herein, let us add, we feel 
quite as safe as does a certain gentleman who for a long 
time has had on deposit in Paris a large sum of money 
which he offers to any medium or clairvoyant who will de- 
scribe it. 

As to Mansfield and his fourteen languages, again "not 
proven ;" and if it were, it constitutes no evidence of spirit 
agency. A smattering of fourteen languages is not a won- 
der. Very respectfully, yours, 

J. N". Tifft, 57 Broadway, 

For the Committee. 

A PRIVATE LETTER.* 

Mr. J. N. Tifft, 57 Broadway, New- York : 

Dear Sir : I have noticed, from time to time, statements 
in the New York World in regard to a self-styled Commit- 
tee, who have taken upon themselves to expose Mansfield, 
Dr. Slade, and other well-known mediums. You state in 
your letter in the Herald of yesterday, that you can do any 
thing that has been done through Mansfield. I would like 
to meet your Committee some evening this week, and test 
their powers. 

I will give you below what was part of my first expe- 
rience with Mansfield. August 21st, 1871, my wife passed 
from the mortal to the immortal. On the 9th of September 
following, I called at Mr. Mansfield's rooms on Sixth avenue. 
Mr. M. was an entire stranger to me, and I had no conver- 
sation with him save to receive instructions how I should 
write my question. I wrote on my first slip of paper, " Will 
my dear wife, Mary Ann Jones, communicate with me?" 
which I signed with my name in full. I folded this up seve- 
ral times, so that it would be impossible for Mr. Mansfield 

* The names in body of letter and of writer are fictitious. 



AN APPENDIX. 31 

to read it ; as soon as he had pasted it up and placed his 
finger upon it, he began to write as follows, " Well ! my 
dear old friend J., I am with you, and recollect you 
kindly, and the many talks we had before I was so fully 
satisfied spirits of the departed could return and talk with 
mortals. Well ! I now have rid myself of all doubt. I do 
exist a conscious individuality. By and by I will tell you 
more. Charles has gone for Mary Ann — he will soon be 
here. — Z. W. Thompson." 

The above was from one of my oldest and best friends, 
who was an inveterate skeptic in regard to a future life ; in 
fact, a Deist. He and I had spent many an hour investigat- 
ing the phenomena of Spiritualism, and he was at the time of 
his death as confirmed a skeptic as ever in the past. I met him 
a few months before his death in Maine, and we had the 
same old argument over again. As I left him, I said, 
" Friend Thompson, the probabilities are that you will pass 
on to the unknown before I do, and if you do, I want you 
to come and tell me which of us is right and which is in the 
wrong." At this time I said to him, " I shall never ask for 
you ; you must come without calling." The communication 
is characteristic of him in every way. He was one of 
nature's noblemen — a gentleman of wealth and culture, and 
well read in the abstruse sciences. I had not thought of 
him, in any way, on that or previous days. The Charles 
that was mentioned was a mutual friend who had been dead 
fifteen years. I had no conversation with Mr. M. at this 
time, nor had he any means of knowing me or my antece- 
dents. I went there for the sole purpose to see if my wife 
could talk with me through Mr. M., which she did to my 
full satisfaction. I had several other sittings with him, all 
of which were satisfactory to me. Now, I am neither a 
bigot or a fool. If you can produce, from the arcana of 
nature, any thing for me as straightforward and inde- 



82 AN APPENDIX. 

pendent as the foregoing, I should be very glad to meet 
you and your Committee. I have not seen Mr. M. since I 
had my visits with him. I believe in fair play, and if he is 
a fraud, I would gladly aid in his exposure. Until so con- 
vinced, I shall believe him honest. * * * 

Yours truly, John Jones. 

THE REPLY. 

New- York, April 9th. 

Dear Sir : Yours of the 7th inst. is received and contents 
noted. . . . 

However correct you may be in other particulars, you 
are evidently laboring under a delusion in supposing that 
" the Committee" is at the beck of the public, or such por- 
tion of it as may desire to " test its powers." Notwithstanding 
which, we profess ourselves ready and willing, at such time 
as our engagements will permit, to meet any one who may 
choose to call on us. We certainly do pronounce every 
thing which Mansfield did for us the result of fraud and 
trickery, and we are fully able to do the same things by 
natural means. Farther than this, neither in the .Herald 
nor elsewhere, have we professed to go. Through an article 
in the World and at various meetings of the Spiritualists 
at Apollo Hall, we have given the public the benefit of our 
experience. It has cost nothing and the public is welcome 
to it. We can not afford to deal with the experience of 
others. We have therefore nothing to offer in explanation 
of the " test " you refer to. The mention of names, you 
speak of, in Mansfield's answer to your question, seems to 
us but a repetition of a trick we have discovered to be very 
prevalent among media, of ascertaining the names of de- 
parted friends of visitors, and then bringing them forward 
at the opportune moment as an evidence of spirit agency. 
We have practiced the same ourselves with success, and 



AN APPENDIX. 



have given strangers and believers what they declared to 
be the most convincing tests they had met with in many 
years of investigation. As we have been thus able to blind 
people, without money or price, and with a very limited ex- 
perience, we are satisfied others can do it much better, 
under the incentive of one five-dollars secured, and many 
more likely to follow, and with the advantage of twenty 
years' practice in fraud. However, these suggestions are 
not offered to influence your mind, and if you are satisfied 
that Mr. Mansfield could have obtained a knowledge of the 
names mentioned, and the relations of the persons holding 
them to you, by none other than supernatural means, we 
can only envy you your facility for believing. Assuring 
you that we shall be happy to see you at the office of the 
undersigned, at any time between three and five o'clock 
p.m., I am very truly yours, 

J. K Tipft, 
For the Committee. 




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